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TTERY 






PRESENTED BY 



History of Battery E 

323rd Field Artillery 



A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE ACTIVITIES OF THIS 

ORGANIZATION DURING THE WAR WITH 

GERMANY, WRITTEN, COMPILED AND 

EDITED BY ERNST G. WIDEMAN, 

SHERLOCK A. HERRICK AND 

CARL A. SHEM 

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PRESS OF 

THE WARD AND SHAW COMPANY 

CLEVELAND, OHIO 

1921 



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Dedicated to 

JOSEPH D. REESE 

In recognition of his ability as an Officer, 

his steadfastness as a Comrade and 

his integrity as a Gentleman. 



CONTENTS 

Foreword. 

Honor Roll. 
Chapter 1 — Life at Camp Sherman, Ohio. 
Chapter 2 — The Journey Begun. Camp Mills, Long Island. 
Chapter 3 — The Good Ship "Agapenor." 
Chapter A — The Arrival in Europe. 
Chapter 5 — Safe in France. 

Chapter 6 — The Artillery Range at Camp Coetquiden. 
Chapter 7 — On the Trail of the Boche. 
Chapter 8 — The March to the Rhine. 
Chapter 9 — The Army of Occupation. 
Chapter 10 — Homeward Bound. 
Chapter 11 — Home at Last. 

Postscript. 

APPENDIX 
A — Memorandum from Major Fibich. 
B — Memorandum from Brig. Gen. Fleming. 
C — From Camp Sherman to the Rhine. 
D — German Propaganda at the Front. 
E — Battery Roster. 



FOREWORD 

History, we ofttimes think, is a dry subject. So it is when it deals merely 
with dates, births and deaths. But when it tells of living men and their 
hopes, what they think, how they talk, with whom they associate and what they 
achieve, it becomes a study which finds sympathy in the hearts of all of us ; 
for do we not also hope, think, act and achieve? 

Truly, man is an emotional creature. When a common cause brings men 
together; when united endeavor knits them into an organization; when daily 
association produces a change in the lives of all of them ; then it is that a new 
feeling arises — one of mutual sympathy, sacrifice, joy and achievement. This 
spirit, existing only when a number of human beings live together, is called 
"comradeship." It is the "milk of human kindness" which sustains men in 
the hour when difficulties are to be overcome and when the desires of the indi- 
vidual must give way to the demands of unselfish service. 

The Great War has lasted almost three years and the advances of the 
Huns on land and their ruthless submarine warfare on sea had well nigh 
exhausted the man-power and resources of the Entente allies. After repeated 
insults and broken promises on the part of Germany to the United States, 
Congress passed an act declaring that a state of war existed between the United 
States and Germany. This act was passed on April 16th, 1917, and another 
war was added to the list of conflicts in American History which were begun 
in the month of April. 

President Wilson and Congress deemed conscription the most demo- 
cratic method of raising an army and so, on the 18th day of May, 1917, the 
Selective Service Law was passed, making it compulsory for all male persons 
in the United States between the ages of 21 and 30, inclusive, to register for 
military service. June 5th was the great registration day and on that date 
approximately 9,500,000 young men were placed upon the military list. The 
order of call into service was determined by lot after a system devised by Judge 
Advocate General Crowder and was based upon the serial number of the 
individual. There was intense anxiety among the crowds about the bulletin 
boards of the various newspapers as list after list of the numbers were posted 
giving the results of the great lottery held in Washington. Later another law 
was passed requiring the registration of males between the ages of 18 and 45 
who had not previously registered. 

In September, 1917, the first quota was called into service and on Sep- 
tember 5th left for training camps. Subsequently the Questionnaire was 
brought into existence and the registered men were classified into five groups, 
according to their condition as to dependents, occupation or religious beliefs. 
Thousands of men were placed in deferred classes because of their having 
dependent families or because they were engaged in occupations essential 



to the success of the war or because they belonged to religious sects having 
"conscientious objections" against war. From time to time quotas were levied 
upon the States and soon a vast army was in training camps preparing to cross 
the Atlantic and battle with the Hun on European battlefields. 

The conscripted men formed what was then called the "National Army" 
which was unique in the military history of America and possibly of the world. 
Men from every class of society, from every profession, trade and business 
known to modern life were brought together and trained into organizations 
which later on rendered distinguished and invaluable service among the allied 
armies. The parallel of such an army is not to be found in the annals of any 
other age and its successes were due, no doubt, to the character of the men— 
their ambition and versatility— and the democratic spirit which bound them 
together i'n a common cause. 

It is concerning a group of these men that this History is written. Treat- 
ment of the military and tactical significance of their endeavors will be left 
to persons more skillful and competent than the author but it is his aim and 
endeavor to present in as accurate and complete a manner as possible the daily 
life, actions and thoughts of the individuals comprising the organization which 
is the subject of this work, rather than treating them as parts of a military 
machine. The writer has received his information partly from his own experi- 
ences, partly from his observation of his comrades and in part from data fur- 
nished by various members of the Battery. Much of the information will have 
historical value but most of it will treat of the daily life of human beings and 
thus it is hoped, be of Human Interest. 



HONOR ROLL 

Joseph J. Donahue, Distinguished Service Cross 
Joseph E. Hagemann, Croix de Guerre. 
John W. Evans, Croix de Guerre 

Three men in Battery E received decorations for bravery in action. They 
are Joseph J. Donahue who received a D. S. C, the only one received by any 
one in the entire regiment. Joseph E. Hagemann and John W. Evans each of 
whom were awarded a Croix de Guerre — the only French decorations received 
by members of the Battery. 

Battery E is proud of her Honor men. The official citations are here given. 

Headquarters Thirty-Second Division. 
American Expeditionary Forces. 
General Orders. April 7, 1919. 

No. 28. 

1. The Commander-in-chief, in the name of the President of the United 
States, having awarded the Distinguished Service Cross to officers and enlisted 
men of the 32d Division for acts of gallantry and extraordinary heroism as set 
forth after their names, the following list of awards is announced, in addition 
to the lists announced in previous orders : 

Private First Class — Joe J. Donahue 
Battery E, 323rd Field Artillery. 

"For extraordinary heroism in action near Bois de Consenvoye, France 
24 Oct. '18. 

"Venturing over a road, when three other runners had failed, Private 
Donahue carried a most important message over an area which was subjected 
to the fiercest kind of shelling. He chose this route to expedite the delivery, 
even though it was possible to make the journey by a longer but less dangerous 
route. He completed his mission despite two severe wounds he received on 
the way." 

By command of Major General Lassiter, 

R. M. Beck, Jr., Colonel General Staff, 

Chief of Staff. 

Official. (Seal) 



Edward D. Arnold, 
Major A. G. D., U. S. A., 
Division Adjutant. 
17° Corps d'Armee, Artillerie. 

ORDRE DE LA BRIGADE. 

Le General Gascouin, Commandant l'artillerie du 17° Corps d'Armee cite 
a l'ordre de la Brigade 

J. E. HAGEMANN. 

bardements, des positions de l'infanterie dans le Bois de la Grande Montagne, 
"fait preuve de bravoure, en reperant avec precision sous de violents bom- 
renseignements, qui transmis a l'artillerie permirent a celle-ci de fournir a 
l'infanterie un appui efficace. 

Le 31 Octobre 1918. 
Le General Gascouin, Commandant 

1' Artillerie du 17° Corps d'Armee 
(seal) Gascouin. 



17° Corps d'Armee, Artillerie. 

ORDRE DE LA BRIGADE. 

Le General Gascouin, Commandant l'artillerie du 17° Corps d'Armee cite 
a l'ordre de la Brigade 

Soldat de lere classe JOHN W. EVANS 

"fait preuve d'une bravoure exceptionnelle en maintenant sous un violent 
bombardment des lignes telephonique outre le P. C. du groupe et le P. C. du 
115° R. I. au Bois de Consenvoye 22 Octobre 1918. 

Le 31 Octobre 1918. 

Le General Gascouin, Commandant 

1' Artillerie du 17° Corps d'Armee 
(seal) Gascouin. 



10 



CHAPTER ONE 

LIFE AT CAMP SHERMAN, OHIO 
September 7, 1917, to June 2, 1918 

Evolution is the one word which describes precisely the growth of "Fight- 
ing Battery E" in regards to both quantity and quality. When one delves 
into the records of its beginnings some strange and interesting facts come to 
light. For example, the first entry in the Morning Reports for September, 
1917, under date of the 7th records that there were present nine officers and 
one enlisted man (and he was a corporal !) Corporal Tyndall who was assigned 
to the Battery on September 6th. 

Captain Sherlock A. Herrick was the first Battery Commander. Every 
one who has even seen Capt. Herrick cannot forget him : tall, erect in carriage, 
precise in manners, military courtesy and dress. "When Herrick was B. C." 
is a common phrase the men employ in placing events. 

However, as soon as the Draft Law began to operate, the Battery was not 
long in growing to respectable size. Corporal George W. Bender was assigned 
to the Battery on September 7th and the following day Sergeants Edward B. 
Perry, E. A. Carrington and Corporal Lewis Grubbs came to the organization 
from the regular army. The first recruits came from Battery B on September 
9th. These recruits, ten in number, were William S. Bissell, Alfred H. Wilson, 
Delbert E. Koah, Howard J. Couch, Floyd D. Alcorn, Charles A. Geer, Alvin 
J. Shelar, James D. Dowdell, John Cowan and Edward C. Freed. It was the 
privilege of these original recruits to see the later recruits come to Camp in 
their "civies" and to assist in transforming them into soldiers. Koah, Alcorn, 
Shelar, Dowdell and Freed are now sergeants; Wilson is a corporal, Couch 
is a cook (he also counts the prunes and waits for that shell to explode), while 
Geer is a lieutenant in the Infantry. Sergeant Perry was the first "top 
sergeant." * 

The site upon which Camp Sherman was built was prior to that time farm 
land situated among the hills of Ross county. Nearly the entire camp was 
bounded by hills ; the scenery was beautiful but there being scarcely any trees, 
the sun seemed unmercifully hot in summer and the cold winter blasts had a 
clear sweep to their victims. Mount Logan, which lay to the east, was pic- 
turesque indeed as it rose majestically above the other hills. On its summit 
there was a small peak which resembled a citadel guarding the approach to a 
fortress. 

A few days after recruits arrived at the Camp, they were vaccinated and 
inocculated against small-pox and typhoid fever. It required three treatments 
to complete the inocculation — each given a week apart. There were many head- 
aches, sore arms and shoulders in the camp after the "shots" were taken 
But there was one pleasure the men derived from it and that was to yell at 
the new men as they arrived in camp, "wait 'till you get that shot." There 
was anxiety and dread in the mind of the raw recruit until after his innocu- 
lation was completed and then he joined the crowd that struck terror in the 
hearts of the new arrivals. 

The first large assignment of recruits occurred on September 20th, when 
127 recruits arrived from Division No. 1, Beaver County, Pennsylvania. Most 
of these men are with the Battery at the present time. With their arrival train- 

11 



ing was begun in earnest. The first men in camp were used as farm hands 
to harvest the crops. Under the tread of marching feet the ground soon 
became packed and when spring arrived the Camp had splendid drill grounds. 

Not being accustomed to military life, the men began to get home-sick soon 
after coming to Camp and a new pastime called "Going over the hill" came 
into vogue and instantly became immensely popular. A regular league was 
formed composed of all organizations in the Camp and Battery E, not to be 
outdone by any other, furnished a very successful team. Of course the B. C. 
didn't say very nice things when the men would come back from their foreign 
tours but many were afterwards rewarded for their deeds by being promoted 
to corporals, for it isn't everyone who can steal home without being put out. 
And then again, it takes a daring man to be a corporal. 

The sanitary regulations prescribed bathing as a part of the soldier's 
routine. But occasionally a man was found who didn't believe in regulations 
or bathing either, and the other members of the Battery ceased using "moral 
force" and resorted to physical force. On one occasion a "squad to enforce 
bathing" drilled with soap and brushed upon a certain member of the Battery 
and for good measure annointed him with lilac toilet water. Ever after the 
cleansed member was called "Lilac." 

The first winter, 1917, was extremely severe. According to records the 
cold was more intense than it had been for nearly sixty years previous. Many 
men suffered from frozen hands, feet or noses. As the windows had to be 
kept open at night, it was not uncommon for a man to wake up in the morning 
and find his bed covered with snow. It tested a man's endurance also to go 
to the stables and perform duties on those bitter-cold mornings. 

Guard duty was one of the things the soldiers disliked. A formal guard 
mount would be held and a guard placed on duty for twenty- four hours — 
"Two hours on and four off." The monotony was somewhat relieved whenever 
Lieutenant Davis was Officer-of-the-Day for Davis always enjoyed testing 
the guards as to the General Orders and trying to catch them either asleep or 
off their posts. The Heutenant's favorite expression was "hell's bells" which 
he always delivered with a shrill shriek. The men often made mistakes pur- 
posely to see Davis wave his arms wildly, jump about a foot in the air and 
yell out his pet phrase. On one occasion, when Murphy was walking post, 
Davis approached and propounded this question: "Murphy, what would you 
do if you saw a submarine coming up the street?" to which Murphy at once 
replied, "Sir, I'd stop drinking." It was such a good one that Davis often 
told it on himself. 

But camp life was not all hardships. The folks back home remembered 
their boys at camp and would send large boxes filled with cake, candy, oranges 
and other "goodies." The arrival of such a box was always made the occasion 
of a jolly feast and a great deal of comradeship was displayed by the men in 
dividing up their treasure among all the men of the Battery. If any man 
would attempt to hide his box, the others would invariably succeed in finding 
it and enjoy a good feed — notwithstanding. 

There were large canteens situated throughout the camp where one could 
buy almost anything he desired. The restaurants located in the rear of the 
canteens were very popular with the men. If the meals at the Battery were 
a little short, then one could, by resorting to the canteen (and high prices) 
obtain the required amount of "filling." Koah and Couch were the first battery 
cooks and the^ older men in the organization often recall the first meals served 
at the mess-hall. Koah is now the Mess Sergeant and Couch is still alive 
notwithstanding the fact that he sometimes eats his own cooking. 

12 




Barracks at Camp Sherman 




Artillery Range at Stoney Creek 





Major M. J. Fibich 



Captain Sherlock A. Herrick 





Captain Philip B. Hasbrouck 



Captain H. A. Middleton 



The Liberty Theatre, K. of C. and Y. M. C. A. huts and the Community 
House provided places of amusement and recreation. The Community House 
was patronized generously by visitors staying at the Camp overnight and pro- 
vided the best place for holding dances. 

Passes to go home were granted at frequent intervals throughout the 
stay at Sherman. The M. P.'s at Chillicothe were extremely skeptical and 
often inquired into one's private affairs and insisted on seeing the genuine 
article. Corporal Marquette enjoys the distinction of obtaining the longest 
pass ever granted in the Battery. Due to an oversight on the part of the 
Battery Clerk, the date when the pass took effect was the only one which 
appeared on the pass. The date of termination was omitted. The corporal, 
however, being an honorable soldier, did not insist upon a literal interpreta- 
tion of the writing but returned to camp at the agreed time. There was main- 
tained by the Battery Commander for the purpose of punishment, a "Black 
List" containing the names of men guilty of breach of discipline or failure to 
pass Saturday morning inspections. These men were denied passes for the 
period called for on the list. Naturally the black list was a powerful agent in 
preserving the morale of the men. 

It was several months after the cantonement opened before enough cloth- 
ing arrived to equip every man with a complete uniform. During the first fall 
and winter of training, whenever passes were issued, there was a lot of hustling 
on the part of the lucky ones to borrow enough spare parts of clothing from com- 
rades so that the trip home could be made in a respectable manner. When the 
hero would arrive at home and the fond parents remark, "How well you look 
in your fine uniform," it was lots of fun to say, "I had to borrow most of it ; 
the blouse belongs to so-and-so, the breeches to someone else, the leggings to 
another and so on, until it developed that about all the warrior owned was the 
hat or shoe laces. As soon as the factories began to turn out their full pro- 
duction this condition was gradually remedied and everyone was fully equipped. 
However, during the entire war, it was only by good luck that one ever re- 
ceived blouse and breeches that matched. There were more shades of "olive 
drab" than there are teeth in a fine-tooth comb. 

There was an order which most of the men joined during their training, 
Kitchen Police, commonly called K. P., knights of the dish rag and mop. To 
balance the long hours and hard work involved in peeling potatoes, scrubbing 
floors and the like, the men always made it a practice to eat as much and as 
often as they could during the day of K. P. duty. 

After some training the men became fairly proficient as soldiers and Bat- 
tery E acquired an excellent reputation. They became noted as good soldiers 
and horsemen. Other organizations dubbed the Battery, "Herrick's Indians." 
On the artillery range, on the drill field and on the night marches the "Indians" 
took pride in doing their best. There being a number of good athletes in the 
organization, a foot ball team was formed early in the Battery's history. Cap- 
tain Herrick took the team to various towns and the "Indians" always proved 
themselves to be invincible. 

The breaking and training of "bad" horses was the Battery's specialty. 
Lieutenant Amidon gave riding instructions and no horse, save one, ever sent 
to the Battery proved too difficult for the men to ride. On one occasion, when 
the Battery was returning from mounted drill, the horse Corporal Hare was 
riding suddenly bucked and threw its rider from the saddle. The corporal, 
although his name is Hare, is nearly bald-headed and in falling to the ground 
struck squarely upon the top of his head and remained standing on his head, 
his arms outstretched, for several seconds. 

13 



Lieutenant Amidon was one of the most popular officers with the men. 
He was rather short but of strong build and came to the artillery from the 
calvalry branch of service. He mingled with the men most of the time outside 
of drill hours and participated in the pastimes they enjoyed. He used to 
"borrow" motorcycles and take wild rides over the roads surrounding the 
camp. On one occasion, while taking the men out on mounted drill, he 
decided to take them through a cemetery. The horses in the lead became 
frightened for some cause or other and started to gallop ; the remaining horses 
followed the example and soon there was a mad rush of horses through under- 
brush and over graves. Several tomb-stones were overturned and not all the 
riders retained their seats. Even now the incident is frequently recalled by 
some of the men who participated in the "grave-yard ride." 

Sergeant Perry was succeeded as first sergeant by Charles Geer, who 
previously was the Supply Sergeant. Alcorn was then made Supply Sergeant. 
Geer habitually slept "full pack;" that is, with all his clothes on with the 
exception of his shoes. To make it easier to dress, he wore boots instead of 
shoes. As soon as "first call" would sound in the morning, Geer would blow 
his whistle as he was slipping into his boots and would be ready for forma- 
tion several minutes before the other men could dress, and would stand outside 
yelling for the men to "shake it up." The men named the boots "Geer's 
Reveille Boots." Finally, after affairs had continued in this way for several 
days and became unbearable, one evening after Geer had retired, one of the men 
took the famous or rather infamous boots and hid them. The next morning 
when the call sounded, Geer blew the whistle loudly as he got up, but when he 
started to slip on the boots he couldn't find them ; he searched for them iri 
vain and as a consequence missed the formation altogether and had to report 
to the Battery Commander for missing Reveille. It's impossible to get ahead 
of a bunch of men when they "get their heads together." 

Captain Herrick was transferred to another organization in May, 1918, 
and Captain Herman N. Archer became the Battery Commander. Captain 
Archer was a regular army man, having spent over twenty years in the service. 
His service bar extended half way across his chest. He came to the battery 
about the time that the division was preparing to start for France and the 
Battery was brought up to full strength by the transfer of men from Camp 
Taylor, Kentucky, and the Depot Brigade of Camp Sherman. 

It was a busy time around "R" section when word was received to pre- 
pare for going over-seas. All sorts of inspections were held, clothing issued, 
horses and material turned in and boxes packed and marked. The last equip- 
ment inspection was held on Saturday, June 1st, out on the drill field. There 
was a high wind blowing and as the ground was very dry, a regular sand- 
storm ensued, covering the equipment with bushels of dirt. It took several 
hours for the inspection and the men have never forgotten that last inspection 
with its sand-storm. Saturday evening the bed ticks were emptied and the 
men slept "full pack" preparatory to leaving the next morning. 

When Sunday morning arrived, the barrack bags and boxes of equipment 
were loaded on the train and shortly after 10 o'clock the second Battalion, 
composed of D, E and F Batteries and Battalion Headquarters boarded the 
train headed for the East. We did not know definitely where we were going, 
as our officers were acting under sealed traveling orders. The men were 
anxious to get into active fighting over-seas and hopes were high when the 
train pulled out of Camp Sherman station about 12 o'clock noon. Many 
mothers, fathers, sisters, wives and sweethearts were there to bid the boys 
good-bye. 

14 



So ended the long months of training at Sherman. Behind lay the days 
of transformation from civilian to soldier, the days of training in depot brigades 
or other organizations, the days of a hard winter and hard work. In the 
future lay new and unknown experiences. In the future the lessons learned 
were to be put into practice and bring victory for a righteous cause. It was 
with high hopes and expectations that we took a last, long look at Camp 
Sherman. 



CHAPTER TWO 

THE JOURNEY BEGUN. CAMP MILLS, L. I. 
June 2 to 10, 1918 

The entire 83rd Division, National Army, of which we were a part, 
trained at Camp Sherman. At intervals of two weeks prior to our departure 
the various regiments of Infantry and Engineers left camp. The trains fur- 
nished to transport these organizations to the east were made up entirely of 
Pullman cars. We had figured that we would receive the same accommoda- 
tions. Imagine our disappointment, then, when we marched to the train as- 
signed us and found day coaches waiting to carry us to the port of debarka- 
tion. The officers, however, rode in Pullmans. It was only natural that we 
should wonder why we were not as much entitled to comfortable cars as the 
colored troops who had preceded us. We confess we did a lot of grumbling; 
but we were not as experienced then in military transportation as we are now. 
During the days of July and September while we were riding in the "Hommes 
40's" in France our minds went back to the good old American day coaches 
and how we wished we could ride in them once more! Day coaches? Why, 
we would gladly have traveled in American box cars, flat cars or even coal 
cars — anything — in exchange for those dinkey, ten-ton baby carriage box cars 
the French gave us. But to return to the story — 

The train on which we left Camp Sherman carried the entire Second 
Battalion and was in charge of Major Miller. Our route was by way of 
Columbus, Steubenville, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Philadelphia, Trenton, New 
York City and thence through the Hudson River tubes to Camp Mills lo- 
cated near Garden City, Long Island. 

At the various stations we were greeted by large crowds which gathered 
quickly when they heard that a troop train was coming. All along the route 
as we passed factories, work was suspended and the employees cheered and 
waved good-bye. One of the orders issued was to the effect that no soldier 
on the train should accept any article of food from any person outside the 
train. At Pittsburgh this order created a peculiar situation. When we arrived 
there about midnight of June 2nd, we were met by a large delegation of 
ladies from the Red Cross Society. They brought several large baskets of 
fruit, some chocolate bars and cigarettes. When we told them that we were 
not allowed to accept the articles, their disappointment was very keen. One 
of the ladies told us that they had stayed up late especially to meet our train. 
We were sorry we couldn't accept the articles — they were sorry that they 
were denied the privilege of giving it to us. The reason given for the order 
was that the military authorities were afraid someone would poison the 
troops. A few of the men on the train accepted some bananas at Pittsburgh, 
thinking that they would take a chance on the Red Cross poisoning them, and 
ate them. They are all alive at the present time. This incident contrasts 
sharply with an event which occurred later on in our travels. 

15 



Eventually, after passing through Ohio, a small strip of West Virginia, 
Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York, we arrived at our destination, Camp 
Mills, the camp of tents, about 5 o'clock in the afternoon of June 3rd. We 
were disappointed with the camp — it was entirely different from what we had 
anticipated. Instead of barracks as at Sherman, we slept in large tents. 
The sanitation was very poor and far below the standard of Sherman. Shower 
baths had to be taken practically in the open and there was no hot water. 
There being no mess halls, we trained for the future by sitting on the ground 
while we ate our meals. 

Passes to New York City were issued during our stay here and many of the 
men availed themselves of the privilege. It was at this time that the enemy 
submarines were operating off the New Jersey coast and, of course, that 
furnished a topic for discussion. There was also an eclipse of the sun during 
our week in the camp. 

While here was saw the first real demonstration of aeroplanes training 
for battle. The Curtiss aeroplane factory and practice fields were located 
a few hundred yards from our Battery street and the student-pilots were 
practicing a large part of the time. There was one machine that attracted 
especial attention — a large Caproni, piloted by an Italian flyer. He always 
thrilled us by his daring maneuvers. TMs pilot was later killed when his 
machine fell during a flight over Camp Mills. 

Inspections of all kinds and drill kept us busily engaged during the day- 
time and at night about our only excitement was walking to Hempstead, 
located a short distance from Camp, or else we would go over to the Curtiss 
works and take a shower bath in the rooms provided by the factory, free of 
charge. 

So we marked time awaiting traveling orders. On Sunday our equip- 
ment was issued as completely as possible and we expected to move sometime 
during the night. We stayed up until morning and about 5 o'clock, June 
10th, loaded on the train and started for the port. At ten minutes after ten, 
the same morning, we arrived at the Philadelphia pier. Here the Red Cross 
ladies served us hot coffee and buns which we appreciated very much. Evi- 
dently, poison is never put in coffee or buns ! After lining up according to 
loading lists, we walked up the gang-plank of the vessel assigned to take us 
across the Atlantic — the "Agapenor." 



CHAPTER THREE 

THE GOOD SHIP "AGAPENOR" 
June 10 to 28, 1918 

It was about 2 o'clock P. M. when we were ordered to go below and the 
boat left Philadelphia harbor. Great caution was used to keep soldiers off 
the deck, but one man in E Battery, a sergeant, remained under some canvas 
and saw the trip toward sea. 

The "Agapenor" was an English boat originally used for a cattle trans- 
port. This was the first trip as a troop transport. She had been in Philadelphia 
for eight days coaling, taking on provisions, and having her interior made 
suitable for troop transporting purposes. Her captain was a grey-haired Eng- 
lishman who had been in the British navy for many years. He felt the re- 
sponsibility which was upon him to safely land our regiment on the other 
side of the Atlantic. 

16 



The crew was made up of sailors from various countries. There were 
English, Irish, Scotch and Chinese. During the trip we were much interested 
in watching the Chinese at their meals. They always removed their slippers 
at the table and squatted with their feet either on the bench seat or else on the 
table and using their long chop sticks, shoveled the rice into their mouths. 
At the stern of the boat there was a four-inch gun mounted as protection 
against submarines. The gun crew were young fellows from the navy. 

As for ourselves, when we loaded on the boat, each one was given a 

blue ticket bearing the number of the hammock assigned to him and the letter 
of the hatchway. When we went to find our hammock we found conditions 
to be very poor. The hammocks were very close together — so much so in fact 
that it was almost impossible for a person to turn in them. The mess tables 
were arranged below the hammocks and on the average, 20 men sat at each 
table. It was very uncomfortable to have hammocks bumping against one's 
head during each meal. 

But the climax was reached when mess was served. In the morning we 
usually had rolled oats, half a biscuit, some kind of meat and tea. Dinner 
consisted usually of beans, potatoes, half a biscuit, perhaps meat and tea. 
Supper about the same as dinner except more tea. The Englishmen always 
pronounced tea as "tay" but we didn't like it regardless of what they called it. 

All records were smashed one night at supper. Each meal the food was 
brought into the hold by details from the different tables. There were two 
stairways leading down into our hold, one used by persons going up on deck 
and the other used by those coming down into the hold. On this particular 
night sausage was included in the bill of fare. Two dishes of the meat ar- 
rived safely and apparently satisfied the partakers, but when the third dish 
arrived, as the detail carrying it come down one stairway the diners rushed 
up the other stairway to get a breath of fresh air. Gas masks would have 
come in handy right at that time. It was several days before the odor of that 
sausage entirely disappeared. None of the men in the Battery or even regi- 
ment will ever forget the kitchen meat room on the "Agapenor." 

There was also a canteen on board operated by members of the crew. 
Most of the men had no money, but those who did, if they chose to pay high 
prices and receive poor service, could buy fruit, candy, soft drinks, cigarettes 
and the like. Tobacco, both chewing and smoking, and cigarettes were scarcely 
obtainable after the first few days on board. 

One man in E Battery paid a dollar for a five cent cut of plug tobacco 
which another member was fortunate enough to have. One man was observed 
to be following a major who was smoking a cigar, always keeping at a proper 
distance however. The longer, or rather the shorter, the major smoked that 
cigar, the keener became the enlisted man's anticipation of picking up the butt. 
But the major, when he had finished smoking, not knowing of course the 
anxious eyes that were glued upon the butt, went to the side of the boat and 
threw the butt overboard. How unduly are the hopes of men destroyed ! 

From Philadelphia we sailed along the coast to New York and remained 
outside the harbor awaiting our convoy. We were escorted by a fleet of sub- 
marine chasers and patrol boats, a part of the "mosquito fleet" that rendered 
such efficient service against the subs. Here we remained for two days. Dur- 
ing that time we were becoming acquainted with our new surroundings and 
duties. Each man was provided with a life preserver and assigned a place 
in the life boats and rafts. The life belts were kept with us at all times and 
nearly every day a boat drill was held to prepare us for any emergency which 
might arise during the voyage. Submarines were the cause of much anxiety 

17 



in the minds of both crew and passengers during the summer days of 1918. 

We next went to Halifax, arriving there just before noon Sunday, June 
16th, and here we remained until Tuesday morning. Our vessel took on coal 
at this port. Several more transports joined us and under the protection of a 
cruiser we started for England. The mosquito fleet did not go further than 
Halifax. 

From Halifax to Liverpool, our European destination, was a twelve- 
day voyage, due to the fact that our course was not straight but zig-zag, a 
trick which protected us against the watchful sub. Every boat in the fleet 
of transports was skillfully camouflaged to give false impressions as to her 
speed, direction of course and type of boat. 

As we were leaving Halifax, Captain Archer assembled the Battery and 
announced that a twelve-day journey was ahead of us and that, as we were 
to spend a few days in a rest camp upon our arrival in Europe, passes would 
be granted to either London or Paris. Only men who knew their "general 
orders" would be granted passes and so there followed an immediate revival 
of learning. The "non-coms" had class each day learning "the service of the 
piece" and A. D. R. The hold of the "Agapenor" resembled a bee-hive for 
several days with a buzz of recitations filling the air with "general orders," 
"duties of gunner, No. 1," etc. The peculiarity of the non-com's study was 
that the 3-inch U. S. piece was dealt with while all of our fighting was to be 
done with the French 75's. Formation of various kinds, guard duty, police 
details, filled up a large portion of the day's work. 

The weather was ideal during the entire trip ; the sun was bright, and the 
sea calm. Only one night was there any semblence of bad weather and then 
just a little rain. There was only one exciting incident in the entire trip. 
One morning the gun of the "Agapenor" fired at an object in the water some 
distance from the boat, thinking it might be the periscope of a submarine. 
Almost immediately the guns on two of the other vessels fired at the same 
object and the cruiser turned and went in search of the "submarine." Upon 
arriving at the spot the cruiser discovered that an empty barrel floating around 
in the ocean had been the cause of all the alarm. However, wild reports 
began to be circulated among the men and soon any number of men could 
be found who actually saw a periscope. The following morning one man was 
particularly emphatic in his views. "How far away was that periscope?" 
another man asked him. "About 2,000 yards" was the reply. "Did the shots 
come close to hitting it?" "Only missed it by six inches," was the observer's 
reply. 

We had always considered Major Baldwin of the First Battalion a "shark" 
on sensing shots but even the Major's ability was put in the shade by this 
newly-found expert. 

A wonderful feeling of security came over every man on the ship when 
two days out from Liverpool, when, on arising, we beheld nine American 
destroyers, with the Stars and Stripes streaming from their sterns, plowing 
along beside us to escort us through the danger zone. Uncle Sam was 
watching out for us, and it was with a most grateful feeling that we watched 
these little sea wasps dart around us. 

The morning of June 28th found us in the River Mersey, a wide, muddy 
and traffic-choked stream that led to our destination, which was Birkenhead, 
just across the river from Liverpool. We docked at about noon, and the first 
long leg of our journey to Germany became a memory. 

18 




o c 



£ < 



5 w S 





Captain Carl A. Shem 



1st Lieut. D. A. Glascock 





2nd Lieut. Joseph D. Reese 



2nd Lieut. I. Heyward Peck 



CHAPTER FOUR 

THE ARRIVAL IN EUROPE 
June 28th to July 3rd 

As we walked down the gang-plank, a boys' band played the "Star 
Spangled Banner" and the English Anthem. The band attracted considerable 
attention because of the youth of the players and the enthusiasm they put in the 
music. We then paraded through the town and were met by good sized crowds 
on the various streets. Two things impressed us very much. The first was 
the scarcity of men, except very old or very young men and the second was 
the lack of teeth among the inhabitants who were present. So extreme was this 
latter condition that Birkenhead might well be called "the toothless town." 

We got our first glimpse of a European train when we arrived at the 
Birkenhead depot after the parade. The comparison between American and 
European railroad trains created a lot of amusement. Instead of having a 
large coach with end doors, these "carriages" as the English call them, are 
divided crosswise into compartments, each having room enough for six pas- 
sengers. There were about four compartments in each carriage. Along either 
side there were two running boards extending the entire length of the car. 
The carriages were built low and had spoked instead of solid wheels. The 
locomotives were about as dinky as the carriages and resembled the engines 
used around the yards of factories in America. But the English trains had 
speed and that's what we wanted at that time for we were anxious to get to 
France and get all that "good treatment" we had been told so much about. 
We won't be fooled so easily the next time — Never ! Everyone doesn't ride 
in the same class of compartments in England. There's not much "class" to 
any of them but for the sake of sustaining "caste" there are three classes' 
from which to choose. If you want to smoke you must ride third class; if 
you are a little short of funds ride second class ; but if you want to impress 
people that you are "it" then always ride first class and note the look of envy 
on the faces of the "common herd." 

So we loaded on the train but before it started, each of us received a 
card enclosed in an envelope. On the outside of the envelope was printed 
"A Message to you from, His Majesty, King George V," and on the card 
enclosed a short note from George with the English coat of arms embossed 
at the top of the sheet. George told us that he was glad we were "over there" 
to help him out and we didn't doubt his word in the least. 

We were soon on our way to a rest camp and we wondered how many 
of us were going to get those "passes to London" that "Pop" Archer had 
promised us. The scenery along the route was wonderful. The weather was 
ideal and the lawns looked like mammoth sheets of green velvet spread about the 
manors that skirted the railroad. The villages were small and close together 
but we also passed through several cities. The estates were interesting to us. 
There was the large manor house where lived the Lord of the estate — then 
around it a regular village laid out in streets but the houses were all of the 
same style, in these the tenants, merchants and artisans lived. We passed by 
the ruins of several old castles. They must have been old for they had been 
built of material that lasts for centuries. There was one ruin in particular 
that attracted our attention. It was situated on a steep hill, was of very great 
size and overgrown with vines, recalled the middle ages and no doubt it was 
the scene of many banquets, sports and perhaps conflicts. 

19 



At the stations through which we passed, we were met by ladies of the 
English Red Cross who gave us refreshments of various sorts. We must 
have appeared to them like a pack of hungry hounds for we did not wait for 
ceremonies but proceeded to make up for the time we lost on the "Agapenor." 
But we could not help contrasting this situation with the Pittsburgh incident. 
We were denied the things our own Americans had to give us while Euro- 
peans were allowed to bid for our good will by acts of hospitality. While we 
appreciated the thoughtfulness of the English our thoughts went back to the 
sacrificing, high-minded and noble women we had left on the other side of 
the sea. 

It was midnight when we arrived at Winchester. The night was clear and 
a full moon made it seem like day. At Winall Downs we marched on to the 
camp through the town which was darkened as a precaution against air raids. 
About two o'clock in the morning, June 29th, we got to the camp and were 
assigned to barracks. Before we turned in we enjoyed a good meal which was 
provided for us at the mess-hall. 

Our stay at Winchester was pleasant and was often recalled with longings 
during the remainder of our experiences in Europe. The food was very good 
and there was plenty of it. No one went hungry while we were there. Some 
of the soldiers in charge of the mess told us "the closer to the front you get 
the better eats you will have" but they undoubtedly were trying to keep up our 
spirits as we found the very opposite to be the case. 

There were no regular formations while we rested at Winchester and we 
could go about the camp very much as we pleased. On Sunday Captain Archer 
took as many of the men as wanted to go on a hike to the town and saw the 
famous college and cathedral as well as the many other places of interest in 
this old town of England which bore traces of the Norman conquest. The 
men who took the trip will always remember the sights and even now they 
appreciate the privilege which they perhaps will never have again, of actually 
seeing the places so prominent and rich in historical values. 

The English money system was a "stunner" to the few men who were 
fortunate enough to have any money. The pence, shilling and pound (not 
many needed to worry about the pound) was confusing. A feature of the 
exchange that struck us as strange was the fact that American paper money had 
a higher exchange value than American gold or silver. 

We had a good chance to study the English "Tommy" for there were 
hundreds of them around the camp all the time. There were some who 
were home on a furlough and a great many more had been invalided home. 
Tommy didn't take very kindly to the American soldier but there was not 
much love lost on either side. The English used to laugh at Americans for 
having toothbrushes and keeping their teeth clean, but now the laugh is on the 
other side for the toothless Englishmen commented upon the wonderful teeth 
that our boys had. 

The Englishman did not have a keen sense of humor and jokes that we 
laughed at they considered "stupid." Ask one of them how far it is to so-and- 
so and he will answer, "Oh ,thirty minutes" or " 'alf a day" and you can draw 
your own conclusions as to whether he means afoot, on horseback or by train. 
They. are not as nervously active as we are so 'alf a day doesn't make much 
difference to them. Their manner of speech is peculiar ; they give a broad 
sound to the vowels and no matter what they say, it is always with a rising in- 
flection — sounds as if they start at the top of one hill, slide down quickly into 
the hollow and up to the top of a still higher hill. 

20 



During our short stay in England we encountered the twilight, to us a 
very curious phenomenon. It was about eleven o'clock at night before day- 
light faded, into dusk and then the twilight lingered until about two o'clock 
in the morning when darkness came and then it was dawn at about three 
o'clock. No need for the daylight saving law over here. But we were glad 
that it was summer with the long days instead of winter with the long nights. 

On Monday, July 1st, we prepared to leave Winall Downs and early in 
the morning marched to the train enroute to Southampton, where we arrived 
shortly before noon. Male help was so scarce in this city that old women were 
sweeping the streets. We spent the afternoon resting at the pier. Close by 
stood a heavy caliber camoufllaged gun which had been struck at the muzzle. 
The explosion was so great that the steel was curled back like the petals of 
a flower. 

Toward evening we loaded on a channel boat, the "Antrim," and shortly 
before dark started for the English channel. This was an extremely dangerous 
strip of water infested with mines and the enemy's submarines. When we 
reached the channel proper it was pitch dark and with all lights out the swift 
channel boat started to zig-zag toward the coast of France. Life preservers 
were worn by everyone on board and we slept wherever we could find room. 
The boat was small and very crowded. 

Shortly after dawn we reached the port of La Havre and lost little time 
in unloading. Our trip across the water was ended — we had dodged the 
watchful enemy and rejoiced that we were safe in France. 



CHAPTER FIVE 

SAFE IN FRANCE 

July 3 to August 17, 1918 

As soon as we had unloaded at La Havre we started on a parade through 
the town enroute to South Camp where we were to rest for twenty-four hours. 

This was our first glimpse of the French people and we were unable to 
make friends with them immediately because of our inability to speak their 
language. Throughout the town there were placards in the windows of many 
shops with the words "English Spoken" printed in large letters. We finally 
arrived at our destination after a hard walk over steep hills. 

The camp was equipped with tents similar to Camp Mills although gangs 
of German prisoners were building frame and cement barracks. Our meals 
consisted entirely of cold canned goods. We were glad to rest and clean up once 
more. A wind storm swept the camp that day and everyone received two 
eyesful of dust to say nothing of the great quantities that settled in the 
lather on the faces of the men who tried to shave out-of-doors. Razor blades 
were ruined by the dozen and vocabularies freely aired. The next day, after 
an equipment inspection we hiked back to the town to our train. 

What a train that was ! Our first, but alas not our last, encounter with 
the French "Hommes 40 — Cheveaux 8," so-called because that was the sign 
on the side of the cars. In English it would be "40 men — 8 horses." In the 
afternoon we loaded full capacity. The officers rode in the carriages but 
were about as uncomfortable as the men. 

21 



So we spent the glorious 4th riding on the "glorious" railroad in glorious 
France. The scenery was fairly pretty but we would gladly have ended our 
European tour right then and there. 

After spending a night and part of two days on the train we arrived about 
5 :30 P. M. at a little town named Maure and pitched our shelter halves for 
the night. Bright and early the next morning we rolled out to continue on to 
our billeting area. The first battalion and headquarters remained at Maure. 
Lieutenants Reese and Davis went to orientation school at Camp Coetquidan; 
Chief Mechanic Irwin was sent to material school ; Sergeant Young, Cor- 
porals Gilmore and Garrett to telephone school : Corporals Roll and Marquette 
to radio school, likewise located at Camp Coetquidan. Captain Archer made 
Marquis a corporal that morning so that he might qualify for the school. 

It was a mighty hot morning. The roads were dusty and the men were 
nearly exhausted before we arrived at Loheac, another small town about five 
miles east of Maure. 

Loheac was once a good sized city, according to the natives — between 
thirty and forty thousand population. But it had suffered from evaporation 
like so many other cities in Europe, and had dwindled until there remained 
only two hundred and fifty people. In appearance it was similar to the 
hundreds of other hamlets scattered among the hills of France. The houses 
were of stone and brick. There was a good-sized church — every, place over 
there no matter how small it may be has at least one church. The short and 
crooked streets were in a filthy condition when we arrived but were built of 
substantial material, mostly macadam, the foundations being hundreds of 
years old. There were several chateaux in the immediate vicinity, silent wit- 
nesses of the age that had passed. 

It was during the Napoleonic wars that Loheac was made the target 
for artillery fire and was reduced from respectable size to a mere settlement 
of peasants. The surrounding country had been the stage of an historical 
drama and the ground over which we marched was not unaccustomed to mar- 
tial tread. 

It was to this place we came and after driving a flock of geese off the 
grass we threw ourselves down to rest upon the public square or rather triangle, 
for here five streets intersected, and we waited for billets to be assigned to us. 

There were not many houses in the village so the larger part of us were 
placed in hay mows and after filling our bed ticks with straw proceeded to 
establish ourselves in our newly found "homes." We stayed there for six 
weeks. Our officers' quarters were located in the upstairs of a large house, 
the home of the village doctor who was then a major in the French army. 

We lost no time in starting our training and in getting acquainted with 
our new friends and surroundings. We found the French to be a queer 
people — simple-minded and easy-going with peculiar customs, devoutly religious 
but with a language that made Chinese look like child's play. They had no 
sense of modesty and the acts which we often witnessed are unbelievable to 
those who have not actually seen them. Sanitation was practically unknown, 
at least it was not practiced. Piles of manure, rubbish and filth were placed 
close to dug wells and the seepage rendered the water unfit for human or even 
animal use. There was only one well in town that was not contaminated. 
This lack of pure water partly explains why the French drink so much cider 
and wine — the other reason is because they like it. 

The two words that our men learned to say first were "cidre" and "cognac" 
and they practiced these so much that the English accent almost entirely 
disappeared. Cognac was a strong drink and as they say in the army "knocked 

22 



them a curve." As soon as the inhabitants of Loheac learned that the Amer- 
ican soldats were coming to billet there, nearly every house and store was 
stocked with wines, cidre, cognac, cups, glasses and other "articles of war" 
necessary to the successful operation of a high-class cafe. About the only 
place in town that didn't have a bar was the church and they didn't need 
one there because the members always indulged in one before and after — ■ 
service. Cidre was universally used — all the farmers having eight or ten 
large hogsheads of the stuff in reserve. Some of it was almost old enough 
to vote. Prices were very low when we first arrived but the French soon 
ceased being sociable and prices began to soar until they were about three 
times as high when we left as they were when we first arrived. The "frog" 
has queer ideas about the American people. To him all Americans are 
millionaires and will pay any price to obtain what they want. 

A French store-keeper never expects you to pay what he first asks for 
an article. They resemble the Jews in that respect. Shopping is always 
mixed up with visiting and after the price is asked and given the buyer 
chats about the weather, politics, family affairs and other matters of gossip ; 
then he asks again how much the article is ; another and lower price is given ; 
more gossip ; more bargaining ; still a lower price ; more talk. Finally the 
right price. Sold. Time consumed about two hours — amount saved about 
ten cents. Wonderful bargain! 

But this is the way the American soldier usually bought. Enters store, 
picks up article. "Combien?" "Deux Francs" (about three prices). Sold. 
That's American "pep" and also the reason why we are all considered 
millionaires. 

Our training schedule was rather strenuous. First call, five-thirty — 
Reveille, five forty-five — Policing up a half hour. Mess. More policing up; 
formation at seven-thirty — the real beginning of the day's work ; road hike 
and drill until eleven-thirty. Mess. Drill from one to five-thirty ; retreat 
six o'clock. Mess. End of day's work. 

The weather was unmercifully hot and the roads were dry, hot and 
dusty. There was not much rainfall during our stay here but what little 
there was usually occurred either Saturday night or Sunday. But it didn't 
make much difference — one day was the same as the other over there. 

During the first part of our stay up until "Spike" Hennessey came we 
went out on camping trips every Saturday evening, cooked our meals along 
the road, pitched shelter halves, and did guard duty "the way they did it at 
the front," at least that's the line of dope they handed us. We were inno- 
cent lambs then, but we're different now. Sunday morning after reveille we 
would have equipment inspection. Anything to get a feller's goat — that's 
the army. Then we would hike back to town, about two miles, and have the 
rest of the day to ourselves — maybe. 

There was a lot of stress laid upon the importance of guard duty and 
some of the stories the officers told us showed that they knew as little about 
actual warfare as we did. So on these Saturday night "excursions" Captain 
Archer would have a full guard on duty about the camp interior and exterior 
and then the officers and Sergeant Geer — the top kick — would try to "run 
the guard." Sometimes they succeeded but the men soon "got wise." On 
one occasion Archer was trying to "get them" and the guard on post called 
out the guards, who upon their arrival immediately gave chase to the "enemy." 
In trying to get away Archer ran through some underbrush and a twig hit 
him in the eye. The next day after we returned we noticed that the B. C. 
had a black eye and the truth eventually came out. 

23 



Lieutenant Piatt also tried his skill at "running the guard." He grabbed 
Graham who was walking past, and Graham promptly knocked the Lieutenant 
down. Piatt beat a hasty retreat but before leaving asked Graham not to 
say anything about the affair. No, he didn't ! 

The B. C. Detail had school for an hour in the morning. Lieutenant 
Piatt was the instructor and taught all about the "service buzzer" (some- 
thing that we didn't use over there) and the telephone. Sergeant Methemy 
would then take the Detail out into the country, usually to the chateau north 
of town, and make panoramic sketches, wig-wag, semaphore, make road 
sketches and the like to say nothing of all the telephone lines that were stretched 
and phones installed. The most amusing instrument we had was a range- 
finder — an instrument designed to give the exact range to any observed point. 
The blamed thing never gave the range twice alike for the same point. Never- 
theless we carried it with us during the entire war and even into Germany. 
We were thankful to Sergeant Methemy for at least one thing — when he took 
us to the chateau. Under the fir trees we escaped a lot of drilling and hiking 
over the hard roads for he allowed us to "gold-brick" as much as we wanted 
to and that was all the time. 

The non-coms attended their school for an hour each afternoon and the 
officers also had special classes. The theory and practice of artillery war- 
fare was studied — the service of the piece — firing data and the like. 

Thus it went on for nearly a month — work, work work — all day long, 
guard duty at night, and also some drinking. Many of the men drank to 
excess but the greater number stayed away from the "stuff" and gave little 
or no trouble. A very small percent of the men were ever in the guard-house, 
but these few spent most of their time there. 

Whenever there was any public announcement to be made to the villagers, 
an old man, the town crier, would appear on the public triangle and after 
beating the drum for about five minutes, proceed to read the official order. 
Ofttimes the audience would consist entirely of a flock of geese or crowds 
of small children attracted by the noise. However, the order would be read 
with as much formality and solemnity as if a million people were present. 
The citizens, however, didn't need to attend for the same order was always 
read — "No more cognac to American soldats." So the rolling drum was the 
signal for the cafe keepers to lay in an extra supply of cognac for the order 
proved to be as good as a saloon advertisement. That night after retreat 
there would be a grand rush. 

Our pay was received at irregular intervals. It was the first week in 
August before we received our May and June pay. During the entire period 
of our stay up until the first of the next year we never knew when pay-day 
would come. This was extremely inconvenient as it was necessary for us 
to buy most of our food if we wanted to have enough to eat. There was 
one hotel in the town and as long as our pay lasted, we would get our meals 
there at a reasonable price. Six eggs, meat, bread, butter, jam and hot choco- 
late was an ordinary meal in those days. The natives ate very little but made 
up for it in drinking. They would open their eyes and mouths when the 
soldier started in on a meal. Evidently they had never seen harvest hands eat. 

About the first of August we received our first consignment of horses and 
our guns, caissons and limbers. The horses seemed to be a herd of "physical 
unfits" which had been rejected by everybody else and simply wished on us. 
However, they managed to drag the guns along without falling down, and 
we realized that horseflesh in France was very scarce. The guns, however, 

24 



were little beauties. It was really our first experience with guns, as what 
little training we had had on the American field piece was rather unsatisfac- 
tory, due to the fact that the few available guns had to be passed from one 
organization to the other. Now, however, we actually had our own guns 
with which we were to help push the boche back to the Rhine, and the can- 
noneers pitched in with a will and quickly mastered the new sights and ele- 
vating mechanisms, and rapidly became expert gun-crews. 

We worked harder than ever with our new acquisitions during the 
first two weeks of August, which were terrifically hot, but we were learning 
every day and becoming more ready to meet the enemy. On August 17 we 
said good-bye to the people with whom we had become quite well acquainted, 
the good citizens of Loheac, and marched, under full pack, to the Camp de 
Coetquidan, a distance of some 17 kilometers. Here we were to get our 
actual firing practice, and get the finishing touches of our military education 
before going to the front. We expected to stay at Coetquidan only about four 
weeks, so we felt that we were getting very close to the time when we should 
demonstrate our ability as a fighting organization. 



CHAPTER SIX 

THE ARTILLERY RANGE AT CAMP COETQUIDAN 

Aug. 17th to Sept. 22nd, 1918. 

This chapter might well be entitled "The Three Ring Circus." There was 
something doing every minute and a grand, free street parade daily. Colonel 
Spike Hennessey, as ringmaster, usually made use of the officers in the role 
of clowns, but sometimes the entire regiment was put through a lot of fool 
stuff. Like all circuses, much of the performance was undoubtedly funny to 
the spectators (represented by the Colonel and the instruction staff) 
but it meant a lot of hard work to the performers. It is only after the passing 
of many months that we can appreciate the full amount of humor of Spike's 
stunts. Two incidents among many will serve as illustrations : 

The entire regiment had pitched shelter tents, batteries were parked, and 
after an inspection of equipment, time was hanging heavily on Spike's hands. 
So he called the officers of the 2nd Battalion together and issued the following 
instructions : "When I say 'Go' I want every officer to run to the picket line, 
saddle his horse without assistance, and then report to me, and God help the 
last man." Then began a race that gave great joy to the men of the Battalion. 
In full equipment, boots and spurs, helmets, gas masks, binoculars and pistols, 
shave tails and captains stumbled and huddled over tent ropes, through high 
grass, and finally gained the picket lines, and in due time reported to the 
Colonel, amid the cheers of the enlisted men. Without a doubt lots of men felt 
that this evened up many an old score. 

Possibly the star performance of all occurred during this same week, the 
last at Coetquidan. Again the regiment was spread out in a shelter tent bivouac 
on gently rolling ground. Horses were tied to the picket lines on the car- 
riages. Col. Spike on a slight eminence proudly surveyed his pride, the 3-Star 
hard-boiled outfit. But we were not quite so hard-boiled as the Colonel 
wished. So we were to be given a little gas drill to stimulate an 
attack at the Front. First, however, he tried on his own French mask (know- 
ing everything it was unnecessary to ask the gas officer at his side details of 
its use). For a moment it was exceedingly comfortable. There was no 

25 



smothering nose clamp, no sloppy mouthpiece, no perspiration, no fogged eye- 
pieces, and no distressing headache and benumbed forehead, caused by a 
tight facepiece. But it wasn't comfortable for long and the Colonel soon found 
out how long he could hold his breath. Finally, after his neck and the ex- 
posed part of his face had turned red and then purple, he madly clawed off 
the mask and gasped for air. 

Lieutenant Atkins politely suggested that if the Colonel would withdraw 
the breathing cork in the canister, all would be well. It was the psycological 
moment for the gas alarm. It relieved a lot of pent-up wrath and wounded 
pride. The Colonel had been gassed, so why not the men and horses too. With 
the sounding of the alarm, masks were to be put on, then those of the horses 
were to be adjusted, tents struck, equipment packed and the horses hitched in 
to move off at the ColoneFs command. This program was carried out and the 
regiment marched for about three-quarters of a mile before the order to remove 
masks was given. It sounds innocent enough in the telling, but the tortures of 
the Spanish Inquisition had nothing on the little hell that followed the sound- 
ing of the gas alarm. It was a hot afternoon in early September. To those 
who were not a part of this ill-fated regiment there must have appeared a 
heavy cloud of blue smoke arising from the masks of these artillerymen who 
were taxing their large choice vocabularies of strong expletives to the utmost. 
The punishment of the horses under heavy draft was worse than that of the 
men, and with their air supply cut off, they soon began to drop in the harness. 
It was only when the French Mission officer had ventured the information 
that at the Front men and horses exerted themselves as little as possible with 
the mask on that the hard-boiling process was discontinued. It might be 
mentioned that with the French mask working properly the Colonel suffered 
little of this torture. Here was a man of whom it could be truly said that 
nature cast but one of his mold. We can be generous and say at least he was 
a good horseman. We have dwelt at length on this affair because it was one 
of the outstanding memories of the training period. 

In spite of the opera-bouffe, the five weeks at Coetquidan were filled with 
busy days and it was a tremendously serious and important time during which 
we received most of the knowledge and training which fitted us for a combat 
outfit. Much of the time spent in training in the States was practically lost 
as we were dealing with methods and material, some of it improvised, some 
ancient, all different from what we were to use in France. As a result, there 
was much to unlearn and a great deal more to learn than there should have 
been. Why there was not greater co-operation between the General Staff 
and G. H. Q. of the A. E. F. on training schedules is a mystery. It was 
certainly not the fault of the A. E. F. In the artillery, at least, many train- 
ing memoranda provided by the A. E. F. were laid aside for the study of such 
antiquated stuff as the buzzer and the semaphore. But now we were to take 
up in earnest the "75" and French firing methods with which we had had 
some experience at Loheac. It is greatly to the credit of the American sol- 
dier's intelligence and aptitude that he was able to meet ever changing condi- 
tions, new situations and contradictory orders. Like the regiment, E Battery 
suffered regularly a change of commanders. Soon after arriving at Coet- 
quidan, Capt. Archer gave way to Capt. Hasbrouck. Capt Archer later made 
a fine record with the ammunition train and Capt. Hasbrouck soon estab- 
lished himself as one of the best of battery commanders. But swapping horses 
in the middle of the stream is always a bad thing. It put a handicap in our 
case on both the battery commander and the men, though their high morale 
carried them through and everyone applied himself with diligence to the task 
at hand. 

26 




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On the March Through the Argonne 




Battery Passing Through a Part of Verdun 



When a battery was on the day's program for firing, untrained horses 
must be harnessed in the dark with unfamiliar French harness ; telephone lines 
must be laid, and guns put in position for firing all before 7 o'clock. In the 
afternoon there were classes for the machine-gunners, telephone and radio men 
and gun drill, pistol drill, gas mask drill and calisthenics for the rest of the 
battery. Before supper three times a week the Colonel reviewed the Regi- 
ment in the big free street parade. In the evenings there were lectures and 
classes for officers and after the lecture, problems to be worked out for the 
morrow by the officers firing. At the end of this five weeks' schedule, the 
brigade had become such an efficient outfit, trained in the modern fighting of 
the Western front, that all previous records were surpassed and a mark that 
later brigades could not attain. Battery E developed some particularly fast 
and reliable gun-crews and capable specialists who later showed their worth' 
in the Meuse-Argonne. Sergeant W^alko brought E Battery into the Colonel's 
favor by his splendid direct fire work on the moving tank which he stopped 
with the first shot. Any prejudice which we may have had against the 75 
was certainly dispelled by this time and we were ready to swear by that won- 
derfully simple, fast and reliable mechanism. With the announcement of 
entraining orders we were "rarin' to go," confident in our new knowledge 
and experience, though we little appreciated what was ahead of us. 



CHAPTER SEVEN 

ON THE TRAIL OF THE BOCHE 

Sept. 22nd to Nov. 11, 1918. 

About 2 o'clock A. M. Sunday, September 22nd, Battery E left Coet- 
quidam on the way to the Front. While there was nothing to herald the 
beginning of this final leg of the journey to which we had all looked forward 
for a year, nevertheless all of us felt that it was a great moment. Long ramps 
at Guer permitted efficient loading of material and horses and by proper de- 
tailing of the work the entraining was accomplished with little trouble. The 
Hommes — 40 were not so crowded as when we came into this quaint Brittany 
training area for we were now fighting men, and therefore of importance. 
But it would have taken an extraordinary amount of crowding and incon- 
venience to have lowered the morale of the men for everybody was in fine 
spirits. At 8 o'clock we moved out and then ensued a two days' journey of 
interest and speculation on our probable destination. 

At Le Mans we saw Major Miller and heard his thrilling account of the 
St. Mihiel drive. Monday morning saw us near Paris with the Eiffel tower 
visible in the distance. Most Battery E men never got any nearer Paris. Dur- 
ing this first night on the train there was one incident of note. A stop was 
made to help up a horse that had fallen down, and in so doing Captain Has- 
brouck sustained a bad cut which he carried for several months afterward. 

After the comparatively poor country in Brittany the rich farming coun- 
try south of Paris certainly looked good to us and there were many things 
of real beauty to be seen — vine-clad slopes, walled-in gardens, clean-looking 
cities, straight rows of tall trees and the beautiful valley of the Seine. 

Old Man Rumor, the busiest man in the A. E. F., had his story about the 
Italian front as our destination discredited when we branched off the line to 
the south and headed northeast. It was here that we saw a wonderfully 

27 



equipped hospital train. No one, however, wished to inspect the accommo- 
dations at first hand. 

About 3 o'clock A. M. Tuesday, the 24th, we pulled into Revigny. There 
was no mistaking the air of the zone of action — shaded lights, long ramps, 
and several outfits detraining at the same time. Here we unloaded and here 
commenced the first lightening of our baggage which was explained by that 
handy phrase, "Lost in action." Like every other artillery outfit, we were bur- 
dened with many things that had to be gotten rid of under actual traveling 
conditions at the front. At Revigny we saw the first real signs of the Ger- 
man invasion. There were many buildings destroyed by shell fire, and as 
we left town we saw a great pile of farm implements hurriedly salvaged 
before the oncoming horde. As an evidence that the Hun was still reaching 
this section there were abris or shelters for safety against air attacks and there 
was that peculiar hum in the air which only can be produced by high-flying 
planes. 

The first march out of Revigny took us about twelve kilometers, and 
for the first time we saw great numbers of camions driven by Indo-Chinese. 
We had last seen the brothers of these gentlemen at Coetquidan where their 
principal occupation seemed to be lunching under large umbrellas and build- 
ing roads as a sort of side-line. At the first bivouac we saw a few graves 
with the French tri-colored rosette and some whose markings were German, 
and here the first black cross planes flew high overhead drawing the fire of 
the archies. 

During the march that night part of the Battery was lost for several 
kilorjO ;ers. Camp was made in a woods where care was taken to conceal men 
and material. It was here that Colonel Hennessey made his memorable speech. 
The 323rd though without a position to take up, would, because of the fresh 
condition of its animals, be able to participate in the running offensive when 
the Boche fell back. It was a wonderfully thrilling picture, but the reality of 
this tremendously big Argonne offensive was entirely beyond our imaginations, 
though the 3-star outfit did not quite take the part for which its Colonel had 
us cast. 

Again during the 25th. we rested by day and moved out after dark. There 
was no questioning the immensity of the drive about to begin. Traffic be- 
came heavier. There were many trucks and ambulances on the way back 
but always an increasing stream going up. We had heard of the strict rules 
of the road back at Coetquidan but we found that in spite of this there 
were many traffic tie-ups. On one occasion, near Clermount, E Battery was 
considerably split up. In order to clear away for the south-bound traffic 
of ambulances and trucks it was necessary to lift over each carriage against 
the column of machine guns and E Battery officers were forced to put French 
staff cars over the clay bank into the ditch. In justice to these officers, how- 
ever, it may be said that the French cars were lifted out again. Shell bursts 
lit up the sky and their frequency admitted of no doubt as to the nearness 
of the Front. 

At about 3 o'clock A. M. we pulled into the open field which Colonel 
Spike had mentioned, full of shell holes and old entanglements, the stakes 
of which caused some of us to think in the dim starlight that there must be 
an awful lot of Frenchmen buried here. An ammunition train was imme- 
diately sent down over the steep hill through Parois with E Battery cais- 
sons in command of Lieutenant Reese. More than one man in going by the 
railroad guns at Parois just about the time a shell was fired, after settling 
down on his horse and getting his breath again, concluded that this war busi- 

28 



ness was getting pretty serious. It must have been about here that Dome 
Martin loaded his Colt and said "from now on Dome means business." 

The men of this ammunition train had an interesting day. While they 
were hunting ammunition, the big barrage commenced and our dough boys 
went over the top beginning the great Meuse-Argonne offensive which was 
not to let up until November 11th. Words are entirely inadequate to convey 
a picture of this big operation, so we will attempt to tell only our small part 
in it. It was about 8 o'clock when the three batteries of the ammunition train 
finished filling their caissons. By this time we knew that the ammunition 
was not for our own use and we were accordingly disappointed. About ten 
minutes after moving out, as we were going down a little valley and passing 
a French battery of 155 r s we came under shell fire. Every man who is truth- 
ful will admit that he was afraid when he came first under fire, and many 
times afterward, but real courage means that though your knees are wobbly 
you still carry on — and in their baptism of fire E Battery carried on. The 
first burst was one hundred yards away, the second was almost immediately 
over the center of our Battery. It was an air burst of H. E. and a French- 
man in a column paralleling our own about thirty yards away was knocked 
off his horse. No matter how they may have felt, E Battery men behaved 
like veterans. Joe Giglio even scorned to wear his helmet. While the Boche 
were still putting them over, one of our horses went down, but it did not take 
us long to get the column moving again. In a short time we were halted 
near Hill 290, and after much confusion of orders and difficulty in getting 
through the traffic jam near there we finally passed almost in front of some 
G. P. F's. and here again we had that sickening sensation of being lifted off 
your horse when the gun was fired. From here over a make-shift bridge 
up a hill so steep and rocky that each caisson was its own particular problem, 
past the first of the wounded dough boys, down over mountain roads with 
over-turned caissons and dead horses along the way, we finally reached the 
322nd to which we delivered our ammunition about noon. 

On the return trip we saw a German aviator set on fire two balloons 
at the same time. The activity in the air was greatly different from what we 
had seen at the flying fields. This was a hard trip for both men and horses. 
The artillery horses, many of them in miserable condition on the march to 
the Front — insufficiently fed and watered, and over-worked, performed nobly 
until they dropped in harness. Many a time a horse was lifted up bodily 
only to fall over, too exhausted to stand. They died in action just as truly 
when finished by a friendly 45 as if at the hands of the enemy. The men in 
E Battery, like all true artillery men, loved their horses. 

The wet night of September 26th saw the Regiment rolled up in their 
blankets with their guns in position in front of the battery of 155 long rifles 
near Hill 290. The long whine of the German shells, the boom of the guns, 
and the too-near burst of H. E. is something that most of us will never forget. 
It is not too much to say that somebody blundered in bivouacing a regiment 
of men where the chance for casualties was so great. 

On the 27th the Battery moved out through Foret de Hesse where we 
saw Captain Archer and passed battery after battery of big guns with their 
tractors, and we thus gained some idea of the wonderful wheel to wheel con- 
centration of artillery that was responsible for the continuous roar of the 
day before. 

It was this morning that Alabama Morgan gamely overtook us when he 
might with honor have stayed in the hospital. We were again assigned to 
a phony position left the day before by the 119th Field Artillery and we were 

29 



again disappointed. The echelon established about a half kilometer away 
from the guns soon became known among the dough boys as a place for 
good eats. It was here that Colonel Hennessey confiscated the ration dump 
of the 79th Division. There was no question that the 323rd needed it. We 
were a tramp outfit and almost lost as far as rations were concerned. At this 
echelon Lieutenant Glascock caught up with the battery. He also deserves 
great credit for being with the outfit when he should have been in the hospital. 
Down at the guns about one kilometer from the almost obliterated town 
of Esnes there was little excitement except when Colonel McKinley nightly 
ordered the fires out. From here we could watch the fighting around Mont- 
faucon and the heavy traffic moving in that direction. One evening there 
was a particularly fine scrap between allied and Boche planes. 

The men who went on the ammunition trip of September 29th and 30th 
remember this as one of the wildest and hardest nights on the Front. The 
batteries of the Second Battalion were ready to start on time and moved off 
without those of the First Battalion. Through Avocourt where a Colonel 
directed traffic, out over treacherous corduroy roads, through inky darkness 
guided by the friendly pioneers, on and on, endless kilometers around the 
turn where careful driving was necessary in order not to run over the many 
wounded and gassed dough boys, then out Montfaucon highway over the tank 
trap where the 322nd dropped a caisson, then finally after crossing a shell- 
pitted field we arrived at the position of the 114th Field Artillery. In the hard 
pulling at the guns through the deep shell holes, mud, and barbed wire, we 
lost a horse. The trip back was uneventful except that we had even more 
difficulty in going over the tank trap because the 322nd caissons were drawn 
up in the way. Many a sleepy driver scarcely realized how easy it would 
have been to lose his team and caisson in this big hole. 

At the stop for breakfast we saw our first Heinie who had died with his 
boots on. More than one man would have liked to have had those boots. 
The effect of the barrage of the 26th could easily be seen. There were great 
holes everywhere and the absolute desolation wrought by the war is vividly 
recalled in the shell destroyed forest areas of the Argonne. 

The position at Esnes was left on the night of October 3rd when another 
of the wild night marches commenced with a 200-yard move, after which as 
soon as we were rolled in our blankets the order came to harness and hitch, 
and we moved over to Camp Gallieni. One of the fourgons had to serve 
double duty as an ambulance on this trip. Sergeant Koah and several others 
were loaded in on top of the baggage. The "slum" must have been pretty 
bad that day to make even the mess sergeant sick. Bridwell and Campbell 
were left behind because they were sufficiently wise to find a trench far 
enough away to insure a night's sleep. This is the only time that Bridwell 
was A. W. O. L. 

The day at Gallieni will be remembered by the steak breakfast which Ser- 
geant Koah dug up from somewhere. It was a real feed. That night again 
occurred one of those night-mares in the form of a march which took so 
long to get started — somebody seemed to be able to change his mind very 
easily as orders were countermanded several times. The next morning found 
us parked and camouflaged inside the outer wall of historic Verdun. Verdun 
held great interest for all of us because of the terrific struggle in 1916 which 
prompted that historic phrase, "They shall not pass." The old city walls, 
the massively constructed citadel, and the moat were things that spoke of 
the past ; but fresh holes of immense size, the heavy boom of large shells, and 
the necessity for keeping hidden the presence of American soldiers left no 
doubt about the present stern realities of war. 

30 



It may have been a coincidence but soon after Colonel Hennessey left 
us, Sergeant Cunningham blossomed out in those trick reveille puttees so 
recently affected only by the man who nailed them to the cross. Saturday, 
October 5th, we reconnoitered our position in the Cote de Talou. That night 
at about 12 o'clock the Battery came up and finally got in over the shell-torn 
imitation of a road. It was another dark, rainy night and many a man took 
more than one good fall, as he slipped and stumbled with his' load of H. E. 
over the quarter-mile stretch from the main road. During the next few 
days only active evidence of the Boche was a pink tea song of hate in the 
form of about a half dozen shells which always landed in about the same 
place and at the same hour at a perfectly safe distance from our position 
and the dug-outs below. Evidently this sector was due for a rude awakening 
from this quiet, harmless routine trench warfare. Until the morning of the 
8th, time was spent in getting up ammunition, digging in, camouflaging, per- 
fecting communication with the O. P. where a splinter proof had been built 
out of a ^-inch sheet iron and iron railroad ties. 

At 5 o'clock on the morning of the 8th we took our first real part in an 
offensive and began a 7-hour barrage, at range 5,200 and finished at 10,400, 
with A. L. semi-steel shells. Suspend firing was given at 11 o'clock because 
the ammunition gave out. During this barrage the battery functioned with 
the precision of seasoned experts though most of us were certainly under 
great tension because there was a lively German reply for the first two or 
three hours. Again the men behaved with the coolness of veterans. Shortly 
after noon we began to see Austrian prisoners filing past the battery posi- 
tion, and we were especially interested in them because we had helped to take 
them though at long range. They certainly were poor specimens of men — 
dirty, poorly equipped and apparently underfed. 

That night nearly everybody rested except Lieutenant Piatt who was 
at the O. P. The next day many of us enjoyed a bath on the banks of the 
canal below. So few were these baths at the Front that they are still remem- 
bered as red letter events. 

About 3 o'clock on the afternoon of the 9th we began to move up and 
on the road a short distance from the Cote de Talou, we witnessed the largest 
concentration of planes which took place during the war. They were so high 
in the air that they looked like formations of wild ducks, and the hum of 
the motors was one continual purr. There were three hundred and fifty 
planes in this group which was being sent over to harass the German troop 
movements and also for the tremendous impression which such a show would 
make. We felt a real pride in this advance because this was over ground 
which we had helped to take. There were the usual halts due to traffic tie- 
ups, and in Brabant we were halted along the infantry kitchens, while car- 
riages were pulled one by one up over the shell pitted road out of the town. 
During this halt, the long chief of the 2nd section committed the unpardonable 
crime of getting caught with foraging. Lieutenant Glascock's sight failed 
him when asked if he knew this rangy artilleryman, and after considerable 
excitement and a short barrage the Sergeant evaded the boys who won the 
war. About two kilometers northeast of Brabant on the Molleville farm road 
we went into position with the battery front on the west side and paralleling 
the road, and an old communication trench on the east side. By daylight of 
the 10th the Battery was pretty well dug in and camouflaged. A short barrage 
about noon drove out the Germans in a small salient formed by a nest of 
machine guns, which had so far resisted all the efforts of our own dough 
boys to dislodge them. This advanced the dough boys 500 meters and re- 
lieved us from direct observation on the part of the enemy. 

31 



During the days Tollowing until the 29th of October, when we were relieved 
by the 79th Division, the 323rd developed into a seasoned outfit. There was 
firing night and day ; much hard work in deepening gun pits and in enlarging 
the field of fire; numerous calls during the night for re-laying the guns or 
receiving new data with very poor facilities for night laying, and there were 
many nights of continual harassing fire. Many a rainy night the gun crews, 
completely exhausted, slept under a paulin if they were fortunate enough 
to have one. Later on everybody developed some sort of a so-called dug-out 
and had comparative comfort. These dug-outs were proof against rain but 
that was about all, as Sergeant Shelar can testify. Shelar will probably bear 
a life-time grudge against Lieutenant Reese for dressing a shell fragment 
wound in his arm and thus cheating him out of a wound stripe. The only 
other men wounded at the Battery were Jack Jolly and Andrew Luy, neither 
seriously. But at brigade headquarters Lieutenant Squires received a bad 
wound from a bursting shell and E Battery was thus deprived of a capable 
and well-liked officer. 

For the effective co-operation of the Second Battalion with the infantry, 
too much credit cannot be given to Major M. J. Fibich — a real man, a real 
soldier, capable of a much higher command with a genuine understanding of 
the things the men in his Battalion were up against. Major Fibich's choice 
of position here and his successful camouflaging were unquestionably largely 
responsible for our singular freedom from casualties. We had a pretty good 
taste of everything the German artillery had — from sneezing gas to mustard 
gas, and a liberal contribution of 77's and 150's H. E. one of which cut all 
the telephone lines at the rear of Walko's dug-out; another dropped along- 
side of Janus who sensed its coming and fell flat in the trench; another one 
almost fell on the first piece, and there were many others just as close. But 
it is doubtful whether the Germans located our Battalion position until near 
the end of our stay, if at all. The shelling which we received was evidently 
because of the heavy divisional traffic over this road. It was through a veri- 
table hell shell fire along this road that Joe Donahue carried important mes- 
sages from Captain Hasbrouck at the infantry P. C. about two miles away 
in the remarkable time of twenty minutes, and thus earned a D. S. C. — the only 
man in the Brigade so decorated. The officers of the relieving Battalion, 
witnessing some of these heavy shellings during the last two days before our 
relief were anxious to get out of there even before their outfits had come in. 
In addition to the shell fire we were more than once subjected to machine 
gun fire by Hun planes. A duel on October 13th with four German fliers 
showed the real stuff of which our gunners were made. They stuck to their 
guns under a rain of Boche bullets, and finally drove off the invaders. There 
were other raids after this — one on October 28th when the German plane flew 
so close overhead that one could almost distinguish the insignia on the uniform 
of the pilot. It so happened that just at this very moment we were receiving 
a heavy shell fire, both gas and H. E. and while our machine gunners made 
a strenuous effort to bring this man down they were unable to fire very many 
shots. 

With all these hardships there was a lighter side to life in the trenches 
above Brabant. E Battery was unfortunate in not having its own kitchen, as 
Sergeant Isidore Zeman naturally favored his own D Battery, but most of the 
men of E Battery were real artillery men who could look out for themselves. 
Though it was never finaly proven, Zeman was probably not far wrong in be- 
lieving that E men stole his jam, during one of those periods when the cooks 
had skipped out because of heavy shell fire. Harry Day was the practical joker 
of the 3rd Section, and more than one man left a straddle trench in haste when 

32 




Battery Passing Through Jametz 



• 








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A Section of the Front Above Death Valley 




Captured German Arms at Madeleine Farm 



Harry threw a few pebbles behind him simultaneously with a shell burst which 
might have been two hundred yards away. Day was also a real cook and as a 
forager had no equal. The 3rd Section and the officers were liberally supplied 
with hot cakes most of the time. Flour was scarce and on one occasion Day, 
wearing an M. P. arm band which he had found, went to Sergeant Zeman and 
asked him for flour for a bunch of German prisoners which he had up along the 
road. In answer to Zeman's invitation to bring them down to the kitchen, Day 
replied, "No, no, Sergeant, I haven't time, I will just make a flour paste for the 
dirty devils — that's good enough for them," and made off with a sack of flour, 
and was soon turning out hot cakes that would melt in your mouth. 

Some men recovered their religion when the Boche became particularly 
active. During one of these times Caputo, unable to pray fast enough in 
English, quickly switched over into his native tongue — with better results. 
Many of us remember Silkowski's difficulty with the English language. How- 
ever, his working knowledge of the profane vocabularly in both the American 
and Bolshevik variations qualified him as a good artilleryman. It was during 
a heavy rain of 150's that he confided to his comrades in the foreign Legion 
dugout that he had got religion and from now "no more swear." 

While the men at the guns were having a tough time, the remainder of the 
Battery at the echelon under Lieutenant Glascock fared better in one respect 
at least — they had good feed and plenty of it and they missed no meals, though 
some were a long time postponed. Sergeant Koah and his crew affectionately 
termed "stomach robbers" really deserved lots of credit. However, life at the 
echelon was far from what it was at home. There were many hard, all-night 
ammunition trips, with horses to be cared for the next day. It was a real prob- 
lem to keep the horses in shape with the echelon several inches deep with mud. 
Lieutenant Glascock was commended by the Brigade animal inspector as 
having the best picket line in the Brigade. 

The men of the echelon, however, were not without excitement. Shells 
clearing the brow of the hill landed mighty close, and on one occasion wounded 
horses on the picket line across the canal. E men led our horses away under 
fire before any casualties had occurred among them. There were also frequent 
aeroplane raids. On one occasion a man in the mess line had his mess kit 
pierced with a shrapnel ball. Pinkerton discovered that Wehagen and Cun- 
ningham had it all over him when it came to doing the hundred-yard dash for 
the protection of the steep hillside across the road. Jerry Powers made one 
trip out from the echelon to reconnoiter to a road which the Battery expected 
to use in going up to the infantry as an infantry battery. Dead Germans along 
the way did not improve Jerry's frame of mind, and when they finally reached 
the rear of the infantry trenches the Germans were sending over about every- 
thing they had. Jerry afterward confided to the Lieutenant that he would 
have liked to have swapped both horses for one with a mark about 158 with the 
privilege of immediately starting back for the echelon. 

Toward the end of the stay at Brabant two new positions were prepared 
in one day. It was here that Day and Antognozzi discovered numerous mines 
prepared by the Germans in front of their entanglements. 

On the night of the 29th the 323rd as part of the 29th Division was relieved 
by the 79th. Guns were taken out of pits and relaid on the barrage under fire, 
and before we pulled out it was necessary to fire five times. It was with a great 
sense of relief that we finally passed down through Brabant beyond the area 
which was regularly shelled because we expected that the Germans would take 
advantage of a relief if they knew it was taking place. Another all-night 
march brought us back to Camp Gallieni. Our "rest" did not materialize. We 

33 



spent one night there during which time Sergeant Alcorn redeemed himself 
for all of his past sins by an issue of rubber boots and a few other needed 
supplies. 

Hallowe'en night, October 31st, saw the 323rd once more on the move 
back toward the section of the line where we first hit the front. It was a 
march similar to all of our previous night marches, with many tiresome halts 
occasioned by moving the Brigade as a unit rather than by regimental or bat- 
talion units. There were two things of particular interest seen on this march, 
the pontoons which were going up for the crossing of the Meuse, and the 
landing field for planes whose lights could be seen for a long distance. A few 
hours' sleep the next morning in the Bois de Bantheville and we moved on 
through Avocourt and soon were seeing great numbers of prisoners being 
brought back as a result of the final drive which we were just missing. A 
night's rest in the Bois de Montfaucon and then another wet night of punish- 
ment for men and animals spent in getting out of it, when a much shorter and 
better route might have been taken, and then a march along the Montfaucon 
highway over which we had carried ammunition, on through Montfaucon 
Nantillois and other places which will go down in American history, and finally 
we came to the Madelaine farm, "our rest area" which developed into a very 
fine mud hole. For once, the supply sergeant was blest because rubber boots 
were a necessity here. Then followed a week of inactivity, rain, mud and 
rumors of an armistice. There was much excitement when trucks were per- 
mitted to drive with lights and strange to say, more trucks went into the 
ditch as a result of this than when they were driving during the darkest nights 
without any lights. Bets were freely offered that E Battery would never 
again fire, and officers formed a pool on the probable date of the armistice. 

On the night of November 9th we were on the march again and once more 
light-hearted. Most of us chafed under the long inactivity, and were glad to be 
on the go even though it meant some more action. It was another hard march 
through Dun with its pontoon bridges and high chapel crowned cliffs across 
the river, up the Meuse to a point near Vilosnes, where we stopped for break- 
fast and a rest and then resumed the march, and late in the afternoon on a 
winding roadway, descended the steep hill from the plateau down to the plain 
of the Woevre with red roofed Ecurey nestling comfortably between the high 
cliffs on either side. 

At Ecurey we saw a number of men wounded in the attempted advance of 
the morning made with little artillery help. We took up our position in an or- 
chard, on the edge of Ecurey over toward Lissey and during the night pre- 
pared gun pits. About 3 A. M. our data was given us and we began firing 
at 7 o'clock. It was a foggy morning and it was well for the 323rd that^ it 
was so. In the brief time until suspend firing was given and the armistice 
announced for 11 o'clock a number of German shells came over which showed 
that we were pretty well spotted. One landed just outside the Second Bat- 
talion headquarters ; another uncomfortably close to the E Battery P. C, while 
others were not far from the guns themselves. At 7 :20 E Battery suspended 
firing after having fired thirty-two rounds. There must have been at least 
a hundred of these last shells sent home to relatives in God's country. 

Until 11 o'clock that morning we all waited anxiously because we could 
hardly believe in the report of the armistice though we had been looking for it 
for some time. At any moment we expected the Boche to strafe us in earnest. 
11 o'clock came, and there was absolute quiet, the impression of which none 
of us will ever forget. There was little demonstration on the part of the men 
over the coming of the armistice. A band concert was given at the P. C. of 

34 



one of the infantry regiments ; fires were built everywhere that night, and 
rockets fired. Probably the real feeling of relief and joy over the cessation 
of hostilities was best brought out in Chaplain Buckley *s simple Thanksgiving 
service in the little village church. 

We almost immediately settled down into the red tape condition of peace 
time. Training schedules came up to us from the rear as fast as the men 
who originated them. However, we settled down to enjoy the comparative 
luxury of the little town of Ecurey with comfortable billets and plenty of 
bathing facilities for everybody. It has not been greatly damaged because 
of its remoteness from the front lines and also because of its position behind a 
hill which protected it from the French fire. The business of war for the 
Germans billeted here must not have been at all unpleasant. There were vege- 
table gardens everywhere; there was a moving picture theater, and excepting 
for the great ammunition dump between Lissey and Ecurey there was not a 
great deal to show that this was in the war zone. Good fortune had followed 
E Battery even to the end. We had no serious casualties and our Battery re- 
mained intact. We had come through 46 days of action, part of the time with 
a Division which was up against some of the stiffest resistance which the 
Boche put up because of the strategic importance of the sector. And E Bat- 
tery had proved itself worthy of its place in the 323rd, an honor which speaks 
for itself. Much of the success of the Battery, if it can be said to be due to 
one man certainly redounds to the credit of its Battery Commander, Captain 
Philip B. Hasbrouck of Yucalpa, California. Captain Hasbrouck, affection- 
ately called "Pop" by his men was a battery commander of the finest type — 
an engineer by profession, the technical side of the work was easy for him, 
and he was fearless to the point of recklessness. Cool and collected, thought- 
ful of his men and horses, he at all times had the respect, confidence and co- 
operation of his Battery. His hatred 'for army red tape and strict discipline 
found a sympathetic chord in most of us. There was a genuine regret when 
later on we lost him through a regular army commanding officer's lack of 
appreciation of the kind of man a Battery Commander should be. 

In the next few days there were rumors finally confirmed by orders that 
we were to remain part of the 32nd Division and make the march to the Rhine. 
While it was a great honor to be a part of this army of occupation it was one 
which many of us would have been willing to turn over to someone else if we 
could only have started for home immediately. 



CHAPTER EIGHT 

THE MARCH TO THE RHINE 

November 12 to December 15, 1918 

The pages of military history contain many tales of marching armies 
which became famous not only because of the difficulties overcome and the 
hardships endured by the men but also because of the significance they bear 
and the influence they exert upon the history of the world. In ancient history 
we read of the march of Xerxes and his Persian army ; of the march of the 
Ten Thousand Greeks, and of Hannibal and his march across the Alps. Then, 
in the middle ages, the march of the Crusaders to Jerusalem, forming one 
of the most tragic chapters in all history. Coming down to modern times 
the retreat of Napoleon from Moscow leaves a bloody page in history as 
the snow drifts of Russia greedily swallowed up a large portion of the once 
Grand Army. In our own American history there is the famous 300 mile 

35 



march of Sherman from Atlanta to the sea. But perhaps the most momen- 
tous of all because it directly and vitally affected the entire world is the 
march to the Rhine of the victorious American army after the defeat of 
Prussian militarism. 

Less than eighteen months after America entered the struggle the German 
military machine was broken and the vanquished army was falling back be- 
yond the river about which so many poems and songs have been written. To 
the Germans the hardest blow of all the war was to see the armed forces of 
their victorious enemies cross the Rhine, a stream which to them was almost 
sacred. 

The armistice had scarcely become effective when all sorts of rumors 
were circulated about Ecurey that we were to start home at once. These we 
seized and fed upon like so many, hungry wolves upon their prey. We pic- 
tured ourselves going back home to be once more with loved ones and how 
good we felt ! But, alas, we were doomed to disappointment for many months 
of tiresome waiting lay ahead of us though of course we did not know it at 
that time. Perhaps the greatest blessing given us in the army and the most 
important factor in sustaining the morale of the men was the uncertainty 
of the morrow. We often lamented the fact during the following weeks 
that we did not know definitely when we were to move or where we were 
supposed to go. Had we known at the time that we left Ecurey that it would 
be May before we again saw home it is doubtful if our men could have stood 
up under the strain and most certainly we would never have reached our as- 
signed destination in Germany in as good condition as we did. 

On the morning of November 16th, Saturday, we were assigned our 
quota of horses and made hurried preparations to move forward. The start 
was made shortly after noon mess and a short hike was made to our first stop, 
Jametz, where we spent the night. The report which gained our confidence 
at that time, possibly because we wanted to believe it, was that we were to go 
to the Rhine, stay there for about ten days, then go to a Dutch port and sail 
for home. After the start, the daily programme was about the same each day. 
Early on trip our advance became so rapid that our supplies could not 
keep up with us. Men and horses alike were soon reduced to short rations. 
Most of the men v/ere not mounted and overcoats were worn throughout 
the trip although the weather was like spring and we encountered very few 
cold days. But orders called for overcoats and so we wore overcoats. Several 
of the men were used as interpreters and also to assist the officers in locating 
billets as soon as we had reached the end of the day's journey. The routine 
became monotonous but our spirits remained high for we kept one thought 
constantly in mind, "we're going home soon," and followed the phantom just 
as desert travelers follow the ever-fleeting mirage. In the morning we would 
fall out early, feed the horses, eat our own mess, hitch and start on the hike. 
At noon we would make a short stop and eat whatever rations had been issued 
to us for the meal which was usually a bacon sandwich and then resume the 
march and continue until our billeting town had been reached. The first part 
of the journey progressed rapidly and without incident and with little of inter- 
est except at Cosnes, where the Germans had built a good sized materiel camp. 
Here we saw some of the huge bombing planes which were used in the great 
air raids. They were of immense size and the giant bombs well looked the part 
of agents of death and destruction. Most of these bombs were more than five 
feet long. The machines were equipped with two twelve cylinder motors and 
two propellers while the wings had an immense spread. These things inter- 
ested us very much for it was the first opportunity we have ever had to 
examine such machines closely. These were some of the planes the Germans 

36 




Gun in Position Above Brabant 




German Observation Post in the Argonne 



had left in accordance with the terms of the armistice and a German officer 
was checking them over to several French officers. 

At 11 o'clock on the morning of November 20th we crossed into Belgium 
at the village of Aubange. A crowd of civilians lined the road, the town was 
bedecked with allied flags and a banner stretched across the road contained 
the words "Honneur aux Allies." The children shouted "Vive L'Amerique" 
and an old lady handed out several basketsful of apples, which we enjoyed 
very much. This same enthusiasm and hospitality was displayed by the Bel- 
gians in each village through which we passed. That night we stopped at 
Guerlange, a quaint little town where we enjoyed the homely hospitality of 
the people who probably suffered most at the hands of the invading army. 
We were the first soldiers through this section and as the army of delivery, 
American at that, after four years of German occupation, too much honor 
could not be paid us. 

The following day we crossed over the border into the Grand Duchy of 
Luxemburg at 10 o'clock in the morning. Here we began to encounter ex- 
tremely hilly country and this continued for the remainder of our journey. 
The first town we entered was Clemency and a white flag was flying from the 
church steeple. Nothing extraordinary took place until we arrived at Beid- 
weiler where we made an extended stop of six days. 

At Beidweilef we tried to get a much needed rest but most of each day 
was taken up with caring for the horses, foot drill, inspections and a resur- 
rection of the old rumors and the making of several new ones which even 
went so far as to say that the reason we had so many inspections at this place 
was because we were to turn over our material to another division and then 
execute a to-the-rear-march and go home and live happily ever after. That 
relieving division pursued us clear into Germany but, alas, it never caught 
up with us. 

Passes to the capital city, Luxemburg, were issued to many of the men 
during the first half of our stop. This privilege was greatly enjoyed by all 
who received it. The town somewhat resembled a small American city 
with its many fine buildings, the palace of the Grand Duchess being of ex- 
treme interest to us because of its historic value and the events which were 
transpiring at that time in the remodeling of the little nation. There were 
extensive railroad yards and also a street railway system which made the com- 
parison stronger. Some of our men saw the grand review of the Luxemburg 
army, which consisted of 275 men, six horses and one cannon. At the depot 
there was a porter who spoke five languages, but, just our luck, they were the 
five we couldn't speak. Part of the inhabitants spoke French and some Ger- 
man and we encountered many who used almost perfect English. The hos- 
pitality of these people was remarkable as were also the prices of foodstuffs. 
At this time the cheapest kind of candy was $4 per pound, cake $4 per pound, 
while chocolate was considered cheap at $9 per pound, all these prices being 
stated in American money. Apples sold for 25 cents each. There seemed 
to be plenty to eat and all the civilians we met had their pockets literally full 
of money. Prosperity seemed to be in vogue notwithstanding what appeared 
to us as unreasonable prices. The inhabitants paid the same prices as we did 
for like articles so no unfair advantage was taken of us. 

Thanksgiving day was observed during our stay here and was the occa- 
sion for much added joy, inasmuch as we received some "back pay" on that 
day. The American papers stated that every soldier overseas ate turkey on 
Thanksgiving day but evidently some other outfit got our share. However, 
that evening the officers sold us chocolate and cakes which they had been able 

37 



to buy from some source unknown to us and we therefore had a second reason 
for being thankful. Our rations and forage continued to be tardy and on 
one occasion during the night, our horses ate two spokes out of the wheel of 
a gun carriage. Finally we received reserve rations consisting of "corn willie," 
canned tomatoes and hard tack and after burying the many horses that had 
died from privation and exposure we took the road and was on the march 
once more. Shortly after noon on the same day, December 1st, we marched 
through Echternach, a frontier town of Luxemburg, and crossed the Saar 
River into Germany. Our journey now entered into its last phase. 

The hills which we had first encountered several days before were still 
with us. It seemed that no matter which way we turned we always went up 
hill but never down hill. The scenery was wonderful and improved in beauty 
as we drew nearer to the Rhine. The farmers were in the fields busily plowing 
and caring for the crops which were in different stages of development. We 
were told by many inhabitants that in the Rhineland provinces there was 
very little snow during the entire winter. 

Our first stop in Germany was made at the small village of Alsdorf. 
Here several of us stayed over night with the mayor of the town. He showed 
us every courtesy and we tried to reciprocate by speaking to him in German. 
We made a miserable attempt to speak but our knowledge of the language, 
which a few days before we had considered perfect, utterly failed us. After 
much stammering one of the men had sense enough to ask him in our language 
whether he spoke English. To this he replied, "I speak some English. I 
lived for seven years in Milwaukee." Our surprise was complete and we en- 
joyed a fine evening of conversation and, incidentally, a nice feed. Some of 
the men were billeted in houses but these being inadequate to accommodate 
so many the remainder of the men slept in hay lofts or any other places they 
could find. This condition continued throughout our trip. 

The following day we passed through the good sized city of Bitburg, on 
the run, as it was feared that the inhabitants might cause trouble if we stopped. 
Then we began to see great walls of stone piled high along the road, sometimes 
for nearly a mile at a stretch. We later found out that this stone was used 
in the manufacture of a special kind of brick and cement. There were also 
many brickyards scattered along our route. 

At Mayen there was a church which attracted considerable attention, for 
this reason, instead of the steeple being built in pyramid shape, this one was 
built in the form of a spiral. It was claimed by the inhabitants that the church 
was hundreds of years old and that when it was built it was thought that only a 
spiral steeple could be safely erected on top of the building. Another point 
of interest was the German theatre where our Battery was billeted for the 
night. It was very large and had lately been used as a meeting place for the 
German women to sew for their soldiers, practically the same idea the Ameri- 
can Red Cross carried out for our own men. There was also an ancient 
castle which was built in 55 B. C. by Caesar on one of his invasions of Gaul. 

The next day we arrived at Kruft which was a thriving manufacturing 
town. Here we stopped for three days during which time we all e joyed a 
bath at the large tile works located beside our billeting area. This was the 
first real bath we had the opportunity of taking since we started for the firing 
line more than two months before. 

We left Kruft on the morning of December 13th and were approaching 
very close to the river. On Friday, the 13th, at 2 o'clock in the afternoon we 
crossed the Rhine at Engers over a long steel bridge which also had an inter- 
esting history connected with it. The bridge was built of steel in three large 

38 



spans; on either end of the bridge there were two turrets which reminded 
one of the pictures of medieval castles ; there was also a street car track across 
the bridge. This structure had been built some time during the early part of 
the war by French and English prisoners which the Germans had captured. 
It had rained most of the day, but our spirits were high for we believed that 
our journey would soon be over. We spent the night at Heimbach after having 
cared for our horses and parked the materiel during a heavy shower. We 
didn't see much of the town for we were tired and drenched to the skin and 
so we turned in early. 

We were now in the midst of the Rhineland provinces; the scenery was 
very beautiful and we passed by many large manufacturing towns, coal mines 
and brick yards. We proceeded to Ruscheid which we reached in the early 
afternoon and expected to take up permanent billets in the town but orders 
came that night that we were to advance to the next town which we did on the 
following, Sunday, morning. At last we reached our destination, a little 
village named Urbach-Uberdorf, situated among the hills towards the northern 
extremity of the Coblentz bridgehead sector. We had traveled about 190 
miles during the month and now became a part of the Army of Occupation. 



CHAPTER NINE 

THE ARMY OF OCCUPATION 
December 16, 1918, to April 22, 1919 

The element of time is necessary to give the proper perspective to past 
events. The four months spent in Urbach-Uberdof, as members of the 32nd 
Division holding the center and most advanced sector of the American Army 
of Occupation, seemed in the passing to be dull and uninteresting, and one con- 
tinuous round of monotonous duties and unreasonable orders. Never before 
had the everlasting care of the horses seemed so much drudgery. Sherman's 
famous phrase fell far short of an accurate description of the battle of peace 
across the Rhine. But in looking back we can see that the average soldier's 
vision was clouded by the malady of homesickness and that the daily crop of 
rumors, which he believed because he wanted to believe them, did much to 
aggravate this malady. The result was that the comparative comfort of his 
present station, the ease and safety of his present duties, and the opportunity 
for new and interesting experiences was unappreciated. After the 40 hommes, 
8 chevaux, the rainy nights on the march and along the Brabant road, and later 
the infested haymows on the hike to the Rhine, the warm and dry and fairly 
comfortable billets of Urbach-Uberdorf were luxury indeed. The 2nd Bat- 
talion arrived in this typical little farming village of the Wester-Wald on 
Sunday, December 15th. Its quaint, paneled stuccoed houses, many of them 
150 to 200 years old, sheltered a simple peasant folk with all of whom except 
the returned German soldier, the American redleg and doughboy in his char- 
acteristic way, soon established friendly relations, regardless of strict orders 
against fraternizing. Invitations to "coffee drinking" with our friend the 
enemy, and the gifts of Christmas cakes helped the men of many billets forget 
that they were thousands of miles from home at this Christmas season. 
But it was a rather cheerless Christmas at best for men who wanted more 
than anything else to be at home, although we were not entirely forgotten as 
it seemed we would be until the last moment. 

The Y. M. C. A. and K. of C. contributed some cigarettes, the quarter- 
master furnished a half pound of candy per man and with fresh pork Ser- 

39 



geant Koah turned out a real dinner. And nature gave us a fine blanket 
of snow. Regimental headquarters not to be outdone, presented us with a 
new B. C. To a man, we were sorry to see Captain Hasbrouck go. His serv- 
ices at the Front could not be questioned. He was a most capable, fearless 
officer, always considerate of his men. But on the 300 kilometer parade and 
continuous inspection known as the March to the Rhine, he incurred the dis- 
pleasure of the Colonel who was the passer of the buck extraordinary. The 
Colonel set out to get him, and, for entirely inadequate reasons, once more 
the guillotine found its victim. The days of real service at the Front were for- 
gotten and a sensible appreciation of conditions was evidently beyond this C. O. 
who never having commanded a battery, never was up against such problems 
as Captain Hasbrouck had faced. 

Lieut. Middleton immediately took up the work and then ensued weary 
months of monotonous watch on the Rhine. Lieut. Glascock and the battery 
made many a tiresome drill before and after breakfast over the top to the 
picket lines in the woods. Long pine shelters were built and used a short 
while before the horses were all placed in stables. Grooming and exercising 
the "insects," as the horses were unaffectionately called, alternated with mange 
treatments. Glanders quarantine prevented range and road work with the 
other battalion for some time, so we were fortunate in a way. Many inter- 
esting rides through the fine forests to the surrounding small towns were taken 
and sometimes the morning's work was varied by free-for-all races — a de- 
parture from schedules which added a little zest to the dull routine, if it 
did endanger someone's official head. It was the usual thing on these rides to 
start up a number of deer before the ride was over, and many a man wished 
that the orders did not include a game law. One man in the 3rd section, it 
is said, had to use his French carbine in self-defense against a particularly 
wild deer. After the quarantine was lifted, battery drill and range work began 
again and added a little interest. But this meant increased work. Carriages 
and harness had to be cleaned ofter every road-hike, regardless of the fact 
that they would be used the next morning. Stirrup and bit polishing parties 
became the usual thing after supper. Brightly polished surfaces, upon which 
much sand-paper and elbow grease had been expended, rusted again in a day 
or so in spite of a coating of oil. Such were the slow passing days of winter. 
Grooming mangy animals was the nightmare of many an artilleryman for 
months. 

There were, however, occasional bright spots in these drab days. Once 
in a while a show came to the Y. M. C. A. tent, though we were never able 
to have our own troupe in which we were well represented by Sgts. Young 
and Shelar and Corp. Jimmy Myers. No better event was staged than the 
trial of Sgt. Shelar on the charge of writing false news concerning a Y. M. 
C. A. pie barrage, which was proved by Prosecuting Attorney Wideman to 
be non-existant, to the satisfaction of Judge Cunningham and the jury. She- 
lar was sentenced to buy pie for the battery. 

The sporting blood of the battery, and Jerry Powers in particular, was 
thoroughly aroused when Lts. Glascock and Middleton engineered a horse 
trade with the 324th which would have done credit to David Harum. Lt. 
Glascock obtained a fine mount, which, under his handling and the care of 
Jerry Powers who spent night and day in her stall, won first prize for offi- 
cers' mounts in the divisional horse show. Jerry certainly fed her on more 
than the pine-bough ration which was ordered about this time. 

Efforts on the part of Lt. Middleton to work up a Sunday School met with 
indifferent success. The last attempt found one man there, Arthur Anzio, 

40 



by name. In answer to Lt. Middleton's question, "Where is the rest of the 
battery?" Anzio replied in his peculiar drawl, quite innocently, "I don't know, 
Sir, I was detailed to build the fire." Those who knew said that too much 
grooming was not good for religion. 

One other thing which made life bearable was the passes which a big 
part of the battery received. These varied in length from one to fourteen 
days and included many trips of wonderful interest to Coblenz, Neuwied, 
Paris, Aix-les-Bains, and many other places in France. At these leave-areas 
many men were exceptionally well treated and every effort was made to look 
after their enjoyment and comfort. The educational value of such travel 
was a wonderfully fine thing for everyone who was fortunate enough to 
draw one of these leaves. Whether by design or not, this policy on the part 
of G. H. Q. was very good propaganda to counteract the growing unpopu- 
larity of army life. 

With the coming of March, the early return of the 32nd division was 
assured. The divisional review by the commander-in-chief could mean noth- 
ing else. It remained to be seen, however, if the lost brigade would go with 
the division. One week previous to the review, Lt. Middleton was made a 
Captain and the next day ordered home. Such good fortune, which fell to 
few men in the A. E. F., was the battery's misfortune for we were without 
a B. C. at a time when we wanted to make the best showing. But every 
last man in the battery from buck privates to second lieutenants buckled down 
to the task of getting the battery in shape with the hope that if the regiment 
created a favorable impression we might go home with the division. Sgt. 
Freed and his details worked night and day to complete the clipping of the 
horses. Harness and carriages were in excellent condition, and the problem 
of polishing bits and stirrups was solved at the suggestion of some of the 
men in the battery by having them tinplated. Major Fibich thought so well 
of the idea that he adopted it for the entire battalion. March 15th came a 
crisp, sunshiny, spring morning. By eleven o'clock the entire division, in- 
fantry, machine guns, artillery and the smaller units was drawn up on gently 
rolling ground, overlooking Dierdorf. With colors, standards and guidons 
whipping the breeze, this big unit in battle equipment was an impressive 
and magnificent sight. Shortly after noon General Pershing, mounted on a 
beautiful silver-grey horse, paid the artillery the compliment of inspecting 
them first. At the last moment carriages had been thoroughly cleaned of 
the soft mud of the field and then polished with oil. The cannoneers shined 
the drivers' shoes after they mounted. 

Gen. Pershing asked a number of questions about .the battery in his 
quick, yet kindly, manner and offered no word of criticism. His final com- 
ment was "You have a very good-looking battery." No one could help being 
favorably impressed by the splendid appearance of the general and by his 
ringing address to the division after the review. The review itself was a 
wonderful spectacle. It was a tired but happy battery that unhitched and 
unharnessed that night, but it was worth it. We had as a battery made a 
showing equal to, if not better than any other battery in the regiment, and 
we felt that we would go home with the division. 

Very soon after the review Capt. Shem took command. We didn't 
wish Capt. Shem any bad luck, but we hoped that he would not be our bat- 
tery commander very long. We wanted to go home. Within a short time 
the new battery commander had quietly worked up an efficient organization 
of which he had the entire respect. 

Things now moved along quietly and in an orderly fashion, the monotony 

41 



being broken only by an occasional Boche who disregarded the military rules 
of the occupied territory, and who was promptly taken into custody and pun- 
ished. The only other forms of excitement were the unannounced visits of 
the brigade commander or the division commander, and these brought a 
thrill to the battery officers at least. The regular army idea, as represented 
by the actions of the above mentioned general officers, was to speak no word 
of commendation, no matter how well-kept the materiel, billets and horses 
were, but to storm and rage at any little thing which was not in line with 
the ideas of the general making the unwelcome visit. No explanations, how- 
ever well-grounded, were accepted, and the same thing held true in range 
firing, at which some of these general officers appeared. The wisest of tact- 
ical moves on the part of the officers' firing usually brought forth a criticism, 
unless it was done in accordance with the rules as laid down in F. A. D. R., 
Vol. III. And if the rules were followed to the letter and results were not 
obtained, as often was the case, another outburst occurred. A war cannot 
be fought from a book, and rules to meet every possible contingency cannot 
be made, because of the infinite number of varying conditions to be met in 
firing at different targets. The one statement in F. A. D. R. which holds 
true under any conditions, and which senior officers usually overlooked in 
favor of minor technical points is this : "The efficiency of a Field Artillery 
organization is demonstrated by its success in battle." 

An exception to the general run of regular army officers, which we are 
pleased to note, was Colonel Fred T. Cruse, our regimental commander from 
January, 1919, until we arrived in the U. S. Col. Cruse was kind, sympa- 
thetic, courteous to his subordinates, an excellent disciplinarian, a fine sol- 
dier, and a gentleman, not only by Act of Congress, but by instinct. 

April 10, 1919, was a memorable date for the 323rd F. A. Brigadier 
General Craig called on Battery E in the morning, and after causing Cap- 
tain Shem the usual amount of annoyance, informed him that the brigade 
would undoubtedly be in Germany for four or five months yet, which infor- 
mation was passed on by the Captain to the men at retreat, at 4 :30 that after- 
noon. The men gave vent to their disgust by tearing their division insignia, 
the red arrow, from their blouses and throwing them in the mud. 

However, generals are not infallible. At 5 :30 the same evening a tele- 
phone message from Brigade H. Q. to Captain Shem informed him that 
we were assigned to the 32nd Division for transportation to the United States, 
and would leave in ten days. Assembly was blown, and a special formation 
called. The men fell in, wondering what they were to be reprimanded for 
this time. The battery commander made a few unimportant announcements, 
and then spoke the glad words. 

That formation was never dismissed officially by the First Sergeant. With 
a yell that must have caused the Boche to think that the war was on again, 
the men hugged each other and jumped up and down for joy. The band 
was requisitioned, and a very unmilitary parade was staged. Also there was 
a mad scramble to reclaim the cast-off red arrows, and the celebration lasted 
until long after taps. 

The next day, however, the hard work began, when the work of turning 
in horses and material started. It is no small task to get rid of 168 horses, 
4 guns and caissons, limbers and wagons, etc., 195 pistols and ammunition 
for same, harness, feed-bags, horse covers, grooming kits and surplus equip- 
ment for 186 men. And each class of property had to be listed separately 
and sent to a different place, and a thousand and one regulations had to be 
complied with. 

42 



However, in ten days this work had all been done, and Battery E was 
stripped of everything excepting the uniforms and personal equipment of 
the men. No horses, no harness, no guns, no ammunition, and no signal 
equipment. As a fighting outfit, we were absolutely helpless, but it was cer- 
tainly great to be relieved of the responsibility of caring for all the equip- 
ment which we had had. 

April 22nd was announced as the day of Battery E's departure from 
the bridgehead, and for two days we only ate, loafed and slept, all the while 
talking of nothing and dreaming of nothing but that wonderful place — HOME ! 



CHAPTER TEN 

HOMEWARD BOUND 

April 22 to May 13, 1919. 

When the long-looked for, happy day arrived it was hard to realize, after 
the many months of disappointment and homesickness, that we were actually 
going to the land of our dreams. As we prepared to leave Uberdorf the reliev- 
ing artillery of the Second Division moved in. The natives of the village spent 
many days in anxiety dreading to have a new organization come in our places 
for they had become well-acquainted with us and on the whole there had been 
no serious conflicts or disputes during our stay. The women actually shed 
tears when we bade them goodbye. It was difficult for these Germans to 
comprehend the size of the United States. Many of them said "I have a 
brother or a cousin over in America, and if you see him tell him that I'm all 
right." 

By one o'clock in the afternoon of April 22nd we were all set, and after 
marching up the hill to the main road we loaded into trucks at two o'clock and 
started for Engers. Battery F hiked over from Dernbach and the Second 
Battalion left in a body. The ride to Engers was by far the best trip we 
had ever made "over there." Why shouldn't it be ? We were going home ! 
The Y. M. C. A. was on deck at Engers and laid down a hot chocolate and 
cake "barrage." Our trip to Brest was to be made under better conditions 
than our other European trips had been for we had American box cars and 
they looked better to us than an American palace car looks to a millionaire. 
At 6 -30 P M. we started. The Salvation Army had stocked the kitchen car 
with a great supply of doughnuts. The Y. M. C. A. and K. of C. furnished 
thousands of cigarettes and hundreds of chocolate bars for us to eat on our 
way to the coast— and we ate them too. We had three meals a day and enough 
to keep us in eats and smokes between meals. It seemed like a dream There 
were from thirty to forty men in each car and at night it was difficult to 
stretch out and get a good night's sleep but we didn't care for we had visions 
of our own cozy beds back home where we would soon be sleeping. 

The trip to Brest required more than eighty hours. We had American 
train crews and they sure did "highball." We passed through Coblenz, Metz 
Toul, Bourges, Rennes, LeMans, and innumerable villages. We could 
see the destruction of war at numerous places— entire villages wiped out; 
large cities hell-torn; immense shell holes blown in the ground and a 
fortress and capital of Lorraine province was in fine condition, but the villages 
skirting the city were a mass of ruins. We saw one hill that the French had 
used for an observation post from which they had direct observation on Metz. 

43 



The Germans had discovered the French using this post and had shelled the 
large stone building on the summit of the hill. There was a large statue of 
Joan of Arc at this point and the enemy had demolished the building but had 
been unable to hit the statue although they had fired countless shells at it. 
The French regarded this as a good omen and it seemed to be. All along the 
route French people of every age and condition came to pick up anything we 
might throw to them. They would call out "Cigarette — Beesqueet" (they 
couldn't say biscuit) and out would go a regular shower of hard tack and 
cigarettes. Some of these souvenior-hunters had evidently walked for several 
miles as there wouldn't be a village or a house within sight of the place where 
they had taken up a watching post along the railroad. The French are regular 
souvenir fiends. 

The "Stars and Stripes" printed an article stating that there would be no 
delay in Brest for the 32nd Division but that we would load on the boat 
immediately upon our arrival at the port, but we had been fooled so often that 
we rather doubted the truth of the statement but we hoped that just this once 
the news might be true. But it was just our luck — the "dope" was no good. 

At one o'clock on the morning of April 26th we arrived at the station in 
Brest and found a good hot lunch waiting for us which we relished very much. 
Then the long hike to the camp began. Camp Pontanezen, our destination, 
was about three miles from the railroad station and we hiked it full pack 
and eventually found our billets located in the far end o fthe camp "as per 
usual." We lost no time in turning in for a few hours sleep. The next morn- 
ing we had an opportunity of seeing the much cussed and discussed camp. 

For several weeks prior to our arrival the situation at the camp in Brest 
had been the topic for a heated discussion and investigation by Congress. The 
camp had evidently been erected in a hurry and was still in the course of con- 
struction when we arrived. The site was large and there were hundreds of 
buildings already finished. The billets had no floors in them and the beds con- 
sisted of bunks built in sections of four each — two below and two above, with 
heavy wire for springs. All the buildings were covered on the outside with 
galvanized iron. The mess halls accommodated several hundred at a time and 
were equipped with long tables with corrugated iron tops. There were no 
benches so we stood up while we ate. The Y. M. C. A., K. of C, Salvation 
Army, and the Jewish Welfare Board had many cozy huts scattered about the 
camp. The American Library Association had a large. library building housing 
were thousand books and comfortable reading room. The huts and libraries 
were the only comfortable places about camp where we could go and enjoy 
ourselves for a few hours. There were movies, minstrel shows, and lec- 
tures of various kinds somewhere in the camp nearly every night. 

On the 26th, the same day we arrived, we were put through the delousing 
plant. This process was designed to rid us of any cooties that might have 
survived the cootie baths we received in Germany. Physical inspections were 
held every day and old clothing could be traded for new at the Camp Quarter- 
master. We stayed at the camp for nine days, and during that time we were 
twice put through the delouser. 

The weather was very disagreeable as it rained seven of the nine days, 
and the other two were cold and cloudy. The atmosphere was saturated with 
moisture all the time and fires had to be kept up in the barracks. There was 
rest here. Every day nearly the entire Battery was on details of one sort or 
another. On Sunday a hundred men were assigned to work on boats lying in 
the harbor but the good eats received on these boats at meal time compensated 
for the little work each man performed. Another detail was sent to carry 

44 




Battery E Marching Through Brest to Embark for the United States 




U. S. Transport "Von Steuben' 



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Map of Sector of Operations of the 323rd F. A. 



ammunition at a French fortress on the Isle D'Mort and the Americans nearly 
scared the Frenchmen to death by throwing the ammunition around as if it 
were cordwood. The French handle the shells very gingerly as if they were 
pure nitroglycerine and they considered the Americans reckless in the superla- 
tive degree. But the one Detail that broke the hearts and spirits of those 
unfortunate to be on it was the infamous "Quarry Detail." There were hun- 
dreds of prisoners of war assigned to work about the camp and at that 
particular time were constructing macadam roads. The stone was from a 
large quarry located close to our billeting area and a detail worked all night 
digging out stone for the prisoners to work with during the daytime. A 
colored sergeant was put in charge of the detail and that did not improve the 
frame of mind of the workers. The miserable rain joined in the conspiracy 
of getting the men's goat. Of course the unpleasant experience is all over 
now, perhaps forgotten, but many of those on the detail told the writer "Be 
sure you put this detail stuff in your History" — so here it is minus some of the 
language used by the men. 

Passes to the city were allowed each day and nearly everyone saw the 
sights which were far from numerous. The British, French, and American 
navies were well represented by boats of the Atlantic fleets visiting Brest at 
the time of our stay. The boats were lined up in true formation, flags were 
flying and it was a sight well worth seeing. But we were interested most of 
all in the boat that was to convey us home, the "Von Steuben," a four-funnel 
cruiser, which was then coaling out in the harbor. 

We received our April pay before we left Brest and had a full pack 
inspection to make sure that we had two cans of shoe dubbing and an extra 
pair of shoe laces. On Monday morning, May 5th, we marched to the pier ; 
the pack didn't seem a bit heavy that morning as we hiked the three miles 
that lay between us and the boat. In due time we were aboard the "Von 
Steuben" and at three o'clock in the afternoon steamed out of the harbor on 
our return trip ; every minute now brought us closer home. 

The "Von Steuben" was a fast cruiser taken over by the United States 
upon our entry into the war. Her name was formerly "Kronprinz Freidrich 
Wilhelm," the famous German raider that sent many allied merchantmen to 
the bottom of the Atlantic. She was chased into Newport News by British 
men of war in 1915 and interned there with her crew. She was re-named 
"Von Stueben" in honor of a Polish patriot who fought with the colonists 
during our Revolutionary War. 

The "Von Steuben" was 663 feet long and 66 feet beam, was well-armed, 
and very fast. The accommodations were very good. There was a soda 
fountain installed and operated by the American crew. Our outfit broke the 
sales records by buying 5,800 sodas in a nine-hour period. There was also a 
large canteen fully stocked with everything we could wish to buy — cigars, 
candy of all kinds, cookies, fountain pens, tobacco, and the like, and it did a 
rushing business during the entire trip. Every night a movie show was given 
in the mess hall. 

For four days we encountered rough weather and nearly all the men 
became sea sick — at least they didn't seem to enjoy their meals. The mess hall 
was located in the hold and was equipped with tables suspended from the 
ceiling with chains and every meal time while the sea was rough the banqueters 
were compelled to do a marathon as the vessel listed from port to starboard in 
order to keep up with the eats. The food was far superior to the mutton 
and tay of the Agapenor, but the men ate so much candy and other sweets that 
most of the appetites were not very keen. The various associations that we 

45 



saw nothing of at the front were on hand to lay down barrages of cigarettes 
and chocolates. 

Life was pretty easy during our week's voyage, as the Captain of the 
boat would not allow formations to be held except life boat drills and the 
relief from strict military life was much appreciated. There was a large, up-to- 
date barber shop where several of the soldiers who were barbers earned several 
dollars during the trip, while each of the men assigned as Kitchen Police and 
Guards received five dollars for their work. Old-fashioned American prices 
were charged at the soda fountain, barber shop and canteen. 

So we lived, although some of us thought we were going to die of 
seasickness for a little more than seven days as we sped nearer home. On the 
night of May 12th we saw the first lights on the American coast — came by 
the Ambrose light ship, Rockaway beach, and dropped anchor outside the 
harbor. 

There was not much sleep that night and early on the morning of the 13th 
everybody was on deck, all shined up for the big event. The port and debarka- 
tion officials came alongside in a tug and examined the ship's papers and about 
nine o'clock we started steaming up the lower bay. Just inside the harbor we 
were met by the welcome tugs, with the Mayor's committee, and a band, 
and many oranges, chocolates and cigarettes, which were flung on board 
with shouts and cheers of welcome. We passed the Statue of Liberty and 
Battery Park and slowly slid into Pier 3, Hoboken, where the lines ,were 
made fast. It seemed almost too good to be true — on United States soil at 
last! One needed only to look around him to reassure himself, however, the 
familiar skyline of Manhattan across the river alone was enough. One of our 
big ambitions had been achieved. Now for the second — now to get that coveted 
discharge ! 



CHAPTER ELEVEN 

HOME AGAIN. 

May 13th to 27th, 1919. 

We lost no time in unloading and stepped upon good American soil just 
eleven months and three days from the time we had left Philadelphia for "over 
there." It seemed as if we had been away on another planet and had returned 
to earth once more. The Salvation Army was on hand distributing telegraph 
blanks and we all sent messages to our loved ones telling them of our safe 
arrival and the charges were paid by the Salvation Army. The Red Cross 
canteen workers were on hand with a good hot lunch and, Oh boy ! they gave 
us some good pie too. The K. of C, Salvation Army and similar organizations 
were present and laid down some more chocolate barrages. After lunch we 
loaded on a Hudson River ferry and went down the river to Alpine landing 
ready for the march to camp. 

It was an extremely hot sultry day and a long hike lay ahead of us. We 
had climbed hills over there but here was one that was extremely long and 
difficult especially as there was a forty-pound pack to carry. The entire distance 
of almost four miles was uphill and many of the men were overcome by the 
heat and the difficult march. At last, exhausted, we reached the quarantine 
area of Camp Merritt where we turned in and waited our turn in the "Sanitary 
Process" — in other words, the delouser. About 4 o'clock the next morning 
we took a cootie bath, had physical examination, and turned in all of our 

46 



O. D. clothing and received khaki "boy scout" uniforms. There was a rule 
that men from northern states, were to receive O. D. woolen and those from 
southern states, khaki cotton uniforms. Ohio, Pennsylvania and Indiana 
were classed as southern states. A military system even ignores geography. 
Several of the men bought themelves O. D. serge uniforms and garrison 
shoes rather than go about looking like boy scouts. A picture of the Battery 
was taken out almost a dozen men were not present and so their smiles are not 
in the picture. 

Then came the splitting up of the Battery. Men were assigned for discharge 
to the camp nearest their place of enlistment, so the Pennsylvania men, compris- 
ing about 50% of the Battery, were placed in one detachment to go to Camp 
Dix, N. J. This detachment was officially Battery E 323rd F. A., Captain Shem 
and Lieutenant Reese remaining with this part of the outfit. Other detach- 
ments were organized with this part of the outfit. Other detachments were 
organized for Camp Sherman and Camp Taylor. Men who were to be dis- 
charged at other points were transferred to casual companies, but 95% of 
the men went either to Dix, Sherman or Taylor. 

We were moved into other quarters in Camp Merritt after being deloused 
for about the thousandth time, and all detachments were quartered together, 
pending orders to entrain for the various discharge camps. Life at Merritt was 
one continual round of pleasure, after what we had been going through. Passes 
were granted generously to New York, practically no formations were held, 
and the men were free to visit the various welfare houses and amusements 
located in the camp, which were numerous. Camp Merritt is a beautiful spot, 
located in the Highlands of New Jersey, and is a well-laid out, shady and com- 
fortable Camp. Forty minutes from New York, with all its attractions for the 
returned soldier, the Camp is ideally located, and with the exception of W. H. 
Sanderbeck, our stay here was greatly enjoyed by the entire Battery. But those 
discharge papers were the uppermost subjects in our minds, and when orders 
came for us to depart, we were not sorry. 

The Camp Dix detachment received their orders first, and left the after- 
noon of May 20th. Inasmuch as this detachment comprised Battery E, we will 
follow them through, because the procedure in all discharge camps were 
very similar. 

This detachment arrived at Camp Dix late at night, and the men were 
immediately marched to their quarters. The officers and the Battery clerk 
stayed up all night transferring all the men to casual detachments with the 
indorsement "For Discharge" on their Service Records. What little Battery 
property remained on hand, such as records, typewriter, guidon and field 
desk were turned in, and attery E, 323rd Field Artillery as an organization, 
ceased to exist. 

This detachment was rather unfortunate as the entire 29th Division had 
arrived in. Camp Dix just ahead of them, and were scheduled for discharge 
first. So after arrival, and again turning in miscellaneous clothing and doing 
the usual amount of work, seemingly necessary to a change of station, including 
a lot of fatigue and detail work, there was nothing to do but wait for the 
29th to be discharged so our turn would come. Camp Dix was not such an 
attractive place as Camp Merritt — hardly a shade tree was to be seen, and 
the camp was built on one of New Jersey's barren stretches of sand, not far 
from Trenton. But this was the last stop before home, and that thought kept 
the spirits up. 

In the meantime, the Camp Sherman detachment left Merritt on May 
21st, arriving at Sherman on the 23rd and received final pay and discharge May 

47 



27th. The Camp Taylor outfit left Merritt on May 22nd and were discharged 
already. Even Captain Shem and Lieutenant Reese, the officers with the Dix 
detachment were discharged May 22nd and had left on the fastest train for 
their homes, while the 29th Division men were receiving their final pay and 
the coveted discharges. 

But every long wait must end, and finally on May 29th, the long-awaited 
papers were handed out. There was the document stating that So and So was 
honorably discharged from the military service, and the final pay, which 
included the $60 bonus and travel pay to the point of enlistment. 

And no drowning man ever grasped the proverbial straw with a more 
eager clutch than the boys used in reaching for this sheaf of papers, which 
severed the ties between them and the military service of the United States. 

We were out of the Army ! ! 



48 



POSTSCRIPT 

THE RETURN TO CIVILIAN LIFE. 

The change from civilian to soldier which took place when the citizen 
entered the army was a radical one and considerable time was required to 
perfect the raw recruit into a trained, well-disciplined soldier. The months 
spent in the army have produced new ideas in the minds of all the men who 
made up the fighting force. 

No less radical is the change which again takes place when the soldier, 
broadened by his experiences and richer from his daily association with his 
comrades, after his honorable service with the army comes to a close, passes 
the threshold from the army back again into civil life. 

The world will seem different and to him, will be different than it was 
when he left his profession or occupation and entered the service of his country. 
His ideas being changed will bring forth new interpretations of the life going 
on about him; his values of persons, things and events will be changed; his 
experiences he cannot lose, but, on the contrary they will grow more vivid 
and become more valuable with the passing of the years. 

When one puts on the uniform of his country's army he assumes responsi- 
bilities which are new and full of meaning. When he takes it off after his 
service is over he resumes the obligations of a citizen which are of the highest 
importance. He then has the unimpeded power to use the forces which are at 
the disposal of all freemen to safeguard the best and highest interests of his 
country. 

The future welfare of this great country as well as her present safety 
rests in the hands of her sons. While international problems are arising and 
demand settlement the needs of a strong national life are also pressing and will 
test the intelligence, courage, yea, the moral strength of every true American : 
to be proud of the past achievements of America; to be vigilant for her 
present safety; and to be jealous of her continued integrity. It is the civic 
duty of every loyal son to see that no harm comes to any American institution 
whether it be fundamental or incidental. The paramount issue, which was 
born with our nation's first breath and which will continue as long as she 
endures, is Americanism. In its final analysis Americanism' is this : for 
Americans there is but one country — America; but one flag — the "Stars and 
Stripes" and but one allegiance — an undivided allegiance to America and her 
ensign. 

The spirit of comradeship must continue among us. When we discuss 
the vital problems which will always arise; as we work together for the best 
interests of our common country above all others ; as we achieve future 
victories over all the enemies of America, we must be united in our endeavors 
even as in the past we have been united in training, in battle, in hardships and 
in achievement. 



49 



APPENDIX A 

MEMORANDUM FROM MAJOR FIBICH. 
P. C. Second Battalion, 323rd Field Artillery 

American Expeditionary Forces. 

November 14th, 1918. 

The Batallion Commander desires to express his sincere appreciation of 
the conduct of you men of the Second Battalion during the trying and difficult 
days of the past month and a half. The conditions under which you have 
worked were at times almost superhuman, yet, through it all you have exhibited 
extraordinary patience and endurance. There were moments when you were 
well-nigh exhausted ready to drop in the mud, your horses refusing to move 
forward and dropping in their tracks, and yet you pulled through it all. There 
were instances when some of the men should have been in the hospital and 
still you have held on ; stuck to it — in other words, there have been no "Beats" 
or "Slackers" among you. 

You have been censored by others, spurred on, rebuked and yet you 
have remained loyal. But let me assure you, frankly, that at this moment there 
are no better Artillerymen in our army. You are at least the equal of the best 
Battalion in France, today. You have proven it more than once; on the road, 
in camp and under fire. I say this, knowing well the full meaning of such a 
statement. I have served in one of the finest Brigades in the Army, and in 
certain instances you are far ahead of some of the units therein, for I have had 
a good opportunity to observe them closely. In your own Brigade there is no 
better Battalion than your own. 

Let others, outsiders, think what they may desire, but remember that you 
belong to the Second Battalion. You have built up a feeling of comradeship 
amongst your own, a wholesome "esprit-de-corps." By your own earnest co- 
operation you have built it up ; then keep it, for it is a most valuable asset to 
an organization. 

Take advantage of every possible opportunity to improve yourselves and 
your organizations ; there is always a chance for further improvement. At the 
present time, you are undergoing certain training ordered by your superior 
officers and designed to bring your Organization up to the highest state of 
approved discipline and efficiency. Enter into all the exercises assigned with 
VIM, interest and earnest co-operation. I ask this of you, continue to obey 
your officers with the same cheerfulness that you have in the past. All the exer- 
cises designated are for your own welfare and will, I know, interest you. 
Give your officers and non-commissioned officers your earnest co-operation. 
Pay particular attention to your own personal neatness. A sharp and snappy 
salute is a marked characteristic of an excellent and disciplined soldier. All 
the training you are undergoing and all the suggestions to that effect, made to 
you by your officers, cannot help but make you marked gentlemen in the 
eyes of others. 

I am sincerely proud of the Second Battalion and I know you men feel 
likewise. Keep up the good work and when we do establish "Die Wacht am 
Rhine" it will be because we had an undoubted right to the honor of having 
been selected for such a duty. 

MICHAEL J. FIBICH, Captain, 

Commanding Second Battalion, 

323rd Field Artillery. 

50 



APPENDIX B 

MEMORANDUM FROM GENERAL FLEMING 

158th F. A. Brigade, A. E. F. 11th April, 1919. 

MEMORANDUM : 

1. The following letter received by the Brigade Commander from 
Brigadier General A. S. Fleming, is published for the information of the 
Bridage : 

"Headquarters, 5th F. A. Brigade, American E. F. A. P. O. 745 

4th April, 1919 

From : Brigadier General A. S. Fleming, U. S. A. 

To: Commanding General, 158th F. A. Brigade. 

Subject: Commendation of Officers and Men of the 158th F. A. Brigade. 

1. Because of my relief from duty with the 158th F. A. Brigade during 
my absence therefrom I was unable to publish an order relinquishing command 
of that Brigade. 

2. Will you therefore please convey to all the members of the Brigade 
my great appreciation of their work and their accomplishments while I had 
the honor to command the Brigade. 

3. In the training area the Brigade strove to complete its mastery of the 
technical details that would fit it to take its place at the front. According to 
the statements of the authorities of the training camp at Camp Coetquidan the 
Brigade surpassed all previous standards attained by the eight Brigades 
which had preceded it there, and established new records which have not 
since been equalled. 

The Brigade received its baptism of fire on the 26th of September, 1918, in 
the Meuse-Argonne offensive and acquitted itself with entire credit. From 
the 8th to the 29th of October, 1918, the Brigade participated in all the engage- 
ments of the 17th French Army Corps north of Verdun and there earned 
the reputation of being one of the best fighting artillery Brigades in the A. E. F. 

Upon the cessation of the activities of the 17th French Army Corps the 
Brigade was again attached to the 32nd Division and with the latter crossed 
the Meuse at Dun-sur-Meuse in pursuit of the retreating enemy. On the 
morning of the 11th of November, 1918, when news of the armistice reached 
it, all the regiments of the Brigade were in action, closer to the German frontier 
than any other artillery of the Allied armies north of Verdun. 

On the march to the Rhine the Brigade earned the approbation of all 
and the commendations of the Corps and Division Commanders for its excel- 
lent marching, march discipline, and care of its animals. In the Coblenz 
Bridgehead, as part of the American Army of Occupation, the Brigade attained 
standards which later resulted in the high commendation of the Commander-in- 
Chief. These accomplishments resulted from a zeal and a devotion to duty 
which are beyond all praise, and would have been impossible without the loyal 
co-operation and untiring effort of both officers and enlisted men. 

(Signed) A. S. FLEMING, Brigadier General, U. S. A." 

By command of Brigadier General Craig: 
A. L. Richmond, Major, F. A. Acting Adjutant. 

51 



APPENDIX C 



1918 


June 


2nd 


June 


5th 


June 


10th 


June 


12th 


June 


16th 


June 


28th 


June 


30th 


July 


3rd 


July 


4th 


July 


5th 


Aug. 


18th 


Sept. 


22nd 


Sept. 


23rd 


Sept. 


24th 


Sept. 


25th 


Sept. 


26th 


Sept. 


27th 


Oct. 


4th 


Oct. 


7th 


Oct. 


8th 


Oct. 


10th 


Oct. 


29th 


Oct. 


30th 


Oct. 


31st 


Nov. 


1st 


Nov. 


3rd 


Nov. 


9th 


Nov. 


10th 


Nov. 


11th 


Nov. 


16th 


Nov. 


17th 


Nov. 


18th 


Nov. 


20th 


Nov. 


21st 


Nov. 


22nd 


Nov. 


23rd 


Dec. 


1st 



FROM CAMP SHERMAN TO THE RHINE 

Left CAMP SHERMAN, Chillicothe, Ohio. 

Arrived at Camp Mills, Long Island. 

New York City, Philadelphia, Pa., where we went aboard "The 

Agapenor." Pulled out o fthe harbor at 1 p. m. 
New York Harbor. 
Halifax. 

Arrived at Birkenhead, England, where we disembarked. 
Winchester, Camp Winall Downs. 

Southhampton. Crossed channel to Le Havre on H. M. S. 
"Antrim." 

Rennes, Maure, where we billeted. 

Hiked to billeting area at Loheac. 

Hiked to Camp Coetquidan, Artillery Range. 

Left Camp Coetquidan. 

Went through Melun, Sens, Joivgny, St. Rlorentine. 

Arrived Revigny where we detrained. 

Vaubecourt, Waly, Brizenax, Fouconcourt. 

Bordoice, Aizeville, Vraincourt, first position in reserve. 

Argonne Forest between Esnes and Avocourt in reserve. 

Dombasle, Blercourt, Nixeville, Camp Gallieni. 

Verdum, Meuse River. 

First shot fired at 5 a. m. on east bank of Meuse at Cote Talou. 

Champneuville, Samogneaux, Brabant. Second position near 
Consenvoye. 

Relieved by 79th Division, left Brabant. 

Vacherauville, Thierville, Nixeville, Boise de Ville. 

Bellecourt, Avocourt, Montfaucon. 

Bois de Montfaucon. 

Nantillois, Madeline Farm. 

Cunel, Ancreville. 

Dulcon, Dun Sur Meuse, Haraumont, Ecurey. 

Ecurey. Armistice became effective 11 a. m. 

Jametz. 

Ham-les-St. Jean. 

Went through Longuyon, billeted at Cosnes. 

Crossed into Belgium at 11 a. m. Billeted at Guerlarge. 

Luxemberg Border, cross at 10:10 a. m. Clemency, Fingig, 
Hierwingen, Garmich, Holzern, Mamer. Billeted at Kopstal. 

Bridel, Bebeldanger, Wolferdange, Helmsange. Billeted at 
Imbringen. 

Bourgmeister, Graulmeister. Billeted at Beidweiler. 

Altrier, Lauterborn, Echternach. Crossed Saar River into Ger- 
many at 12 noon. Irrel, Niederweiss. Billeted in Alsdorf. 

52 



Dec. 


2nd 


Dec. 


3rd 


Dec. 


5th 


Dec. 


6th 


Dec. 


7th 


Dec. 


9th 


Dec. 


10th 


Dec. 


13th 


Dec. 


14th 


Dec. 


15th 



Wolfsfeld. Billeted at Messerich. 

Bitburg, Metterich, Dudeldorf, Pickliessem. Billeted in Gindorf. 

Oberkail, Schwartzenborn^ Eichelhutte, Grosslittgen, Mander- 
scheid, Bleckhausen. Billeted in Udersdorf. 

Weirsbach, Dauri, Dockweiler, Dreis. Billeted in Kelburg. 

Flecker Hunersback. Billeted in Boos. 

Lind, Krenzwick. Billeted in Mayen. 

Thor. Billeted in Kruft. 

Plaidt, Wiessenthurm, Urmitz. Crossed Rhine at 2 p. m. in driv- 
ing rain. Engers, Weis. Billeted in Heimbach. 

Gladbach, Anhausen. Billeted in Ruscheid. 

Urbach-Uberdorf, settled down for the winter. 

HOMEWARD BOUND 



1919 



Left Urbach-Uberdorf shortly after noon. Engers, entrained. 
April 23rd Went through Trier, Metz, Pont-a-Mousson, Toul, Neufchateau, 

Bologne. 
April 24th Clemency, Bourges, Mehun, Gievres, Troyes. 
April 25th Le Mans, Laval, Rennes, ; first view of ocean at 4 :30 p. m. 
April 26th Brest, arrived at 1 a. m. Camp Pontanezen, arriving at 4 a. m. 
May 5th Went aboard the "Von Steuben" at Brest at 12 noon. Left the 

harbor at 3 p. m. 
May 13th Arrived Pier No. 3 at Hoboken at 11:30 a. m. and arrived at 

Camp Merritt at 11 p. m. 
May 20th Left Camp Merritt in detachments for Camp Dix, Camp Taylor, 

Camp Grant and Camp Sherman for discharge. 



53 



APPENDIX D 

GERMAN PROPAGANDA AT THE FRONT 

Frequently while the war was going on enemy airplanes would fly over the 
American positions at various points along the line and drop literature de- 
signed to weaken the morale of our soldiers. These pamphlets proved to be 
boomerangs for the messages they contained made our men fight all the harder. 
The following is the full text of three of these pamphlets: 

"NEVER SAY DIE !" 

Don't die till you have to ! 

What business have you ot die for France, for Alsace-Lorraine, or for 
England in France? 

Isn't it better anyhow to .live than to die, no matter for how 'Iglorious" 
a cause? Isn't it better to live and come back to the old folks at home, than 
to rot in the shell holes and trenches of France? 

You have had to hear many high faluting words about "liberty," human- 
ity" and "making the world safe for demcoracy" but honest now, aren't these 
catch words merely sugar coating to the bitter pill of making you spend 
wretched months far from home ? Do you really believe those German soldier 
boys in their faded grey uniforms on the other side of "No Mans Land" are 
hot on the trail of your liberties? 

Just like you, they want the war to end with honor so they can go back 
to their home folks. All they want is a chance to live and let live. 

And so, if it should happen to you to fall into their hands you will find 
that they will treat you fair enough on the principle of "live and let live." 
Why run any more chances than you have to, you might as well be a free 
boarder in Germany till the war is over. You don't want to die till you have to ! 

"HOW TO STOP THE WAR" 

Do your part to put an end to the war! Put an end to your part of it. 
Stop fighting! That's the simplest way. You can do it, you soldiers, just stop 
fighting and the war will end of its own accord. You are not fighting for any- 
thing anyway. What does it matter to you who owns Metz or Strassburg, 
you never saw those towns nor knew the people in them, so what do you care 
about them? But there is a little town back home in little old United States 
you would like to see and if you keep on fighting here in the hope of getting 
a loo kat those old German fortresses you may never see home again. 

The only way to stop the war is to stop fighting. That's easy. Just quit 
it and slip across "No Man's Land" and join the bunch that's taking it easy 
there waiting ot be exchanged and taken home. There is no disgrace in that. 
That bunch of American prisoners will be welcomed just as warmly as you 
who stick it out in these infernal trenches. eGt wise and get over the top. 

There is nothing in the glory of keeping up the war. But think of the in- 
creasing taxes you will have to pay; the longer the war lasts the larger those 
taxes at home will be. Get wise and get over. 

All the fine words about glory are rot. You havent got any business fight- 
ing in France. You would be better be fighting the money trust at home in- 
stead of fighting your fellow soldiers in grey over here where it doesn't really 
matter two sticks to you how the war goes. 

Your country needs you, your family needs you and you need your life 
for something better than being gased, shot at, deafened by cannon shots and 
rendered unfit physically by the miserable life you must live here. 

54 



4.ii n » of tVip cruelties of German prison camps are fairy 
The tales they tell you of the crueltie s < ^ £ but anyt hing is 

tales. Of course you may not like being a P^oner wounded 

better than this infernal place with no hop ^^ Thde Tn your body. 

"WHAT ARE WE FIGHTING FOR?" 
The ^German Government requests the President of the ^%g« 
±&*^tt&'EEZ& SSSBL^S Purpose of 

Berlin, Oetober 4th, 1918. ^ ^ rf j^ 

Imperial Chancellor. 
Wilson's answer : ^ ^ ^ ^ 

Sir ;_I have the honour to •d^^« & ^°^£^S^ 

NOt H °£ < «^TSniSSWp^SE>fS request you to make 

to the President and l ? m ™ st ™f^ r U * T - m \ German Government: 

the following communication to he Imperial ^b m ^ ^^ 

Cha "^°e r s- ^^P^,?^^^^ LTs^ssTc^S 
ment accepts the terms laid down by the *£^» his subsequent addresses, 

%&^*%£*t&£^£ would be only to agree upon the 

'"'ZlZ^&'ESfc-* ^th regard to the suggests of an 
armiJcTthathe doesn't feel at «^y '^propos^satton armsjoto 

EU^rSS so gSaSS «.*"hS£ answers to these ques- 

^ ^Slr toTenCdtrnces of my high consideration. 

Accept, oir, me it Robert Lansing. 



55 



Germany's answer: 

The German Government, replying to the questions of the President of 
the United States of America declares : 

The German Government has accepted the terms laid down by the Presi- 
dent in his address of the 8th January last, and in his subsequent addresses 
as the basis of a lasting peace of justice. Its object in entering into discus- 
sions would be only to agree upon practical details of the application of those 
terms. 

The German Government assumes that the Governments with which the 
Government of the United States is associated laso stand on the ground of 
President Wilson's pronouncements. 

The German Government, in agreement with the Austrian-Hungarian 
Government, declares itself ready to comply with President Wilson's proposals 
for evacuation in order to bring about an armistice. 

It leaves it to the President to effect the meeting of a mixed commission 
which would have to make the necessary arrangements for evacuation. 

The present German Government, responsible for the peace step, has 
been formed by negotiations and in agreement with the majority of the 
"Reichstag." 

The Imperial Chancellor, supported in each of his dealings by the will of 
this majority, speaks in the name of the German Government and of the Ger- 
man people. 

Berlin, October 12th, 1918. 

(Signed) Solf, 
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. 

Why are we still fighting? 



56 



APPENDIX E 

ROSTER OF BATTERY E, 323rd FIELD ARTILLERY 
Officers with Battery When Discharged 

Captain Carl A. Shem, 1081 Maple Cliff Dr., Lakewood, Ohio. 

1st Lieut D. A. Glascock, 707 Green St., Crawfordsville, Ind. 

2nd Lieut Joseph D. Reese, 1317 Green St., Massillon, Ohio. 

2nd Lieut I. Heyward Peck, 25 Lawrence Ave., Flushing, N. Y. 

Officers Formerly with Battery 

Captain S. A. Herrick — became Regimental Personnel Adjutant. 

Captain H. A. Archer — transfd. to 308th Ammunition Train. 

Captain Phil. B. Hasbrouck — became Battalion Adjutant. 

1st Lieut Bruce Amidon — transfd. to F. A. R. R. 

1st Lieut R. H. Piatt— transfd. to Battery F. 

Captain H. A. Middleton — transfd. to U. S. A. for discharge. 

1st Lieut E. A.Carr — transfd. to Battery C. 

2nd Lieut John L.Davis — became Billeting Officer 32nd Div. H. Q. 

2nd Lieut C. A. Hayes — transfd. to University in England 

2nd Lieut Lowell Squires — severely wounded in action. 

Enlisted Men 

1st Sgt Loyd H. Pinkerton, Freedom, Pa. 

Sup. Sgt Floyd D. Alcorn, Darlington, Beaver Co., Pa. 

Mess Sgt Delbert E. Koah, 630 10th Ave., New Brighton, Pa. 

Stable Sgt R. C. Cunningham, 3513 Bell Place, St. Louis, Mo. 

Chief Mech....' William T. Irwin, 813 Fourth Ave., New Brighton, Pa. 

Sergeant Alvin J. Shelar, 512 Penn Ave., New Brighton, Pa. 

Sergeant James P. Metheny, 311 Wayne Ave., Elwood City, Pa. 

Sergeant Joseph Walko, 641 Elm Lane, Ambridge, Pa. 

Sergeant E. C. Freed, 4722 Fifth Ave., Beaver Falls, Pa. 

Sergeant James D. Dowdell, 1004 Fourth St., Beaver, Pa. 

Sergeant Alfred S McKnight, Westland, Pa. 

Sergeant Frank G. Wehagen, 3360 W. 84th St., Ambridge, Pa. 

Sergeant Edward B. Perry, West, Texas. 

Sergeant George J. Young, General Delivery, Ambridge, Pa. 

Sergeant Lewis Grubbs, R. F. D. No. 3, Uniontown, Pa. 

Corporal John F. Bridwell, Box No. 18, New Bedford, Pa. 

Corporal A. L. Carlin, No. 6 Hoffman Ave., Oil City, Pa. 

Corporal Chas. Carter, 914 Sherrick Road, Canton, Ohio. 

Corporal J. J. Donahue, 103 Sixth Ave., Rochester, Minn. 

Corporal Jas. H. Marquette, 310 Fourteenth St., Ambridge, Fa 

Corporal James E. Garrett, R. F. D. No. 1, Freedom, Pa. 

Corporal G. R. Gilmore, West Bridgewater, Pa. 

Corporal J. Laughlin, Wampum, Pa. 

Corporal H. H. Laughlin, Wampum, Pa. 

Corporal Earl H. McDade, Freedom, Pa. 

57 



Corporal L. R. Murphy, 537 12th Ave., New Brighton, Pa. 

Corporal *Ray O. Murphy, Homewodo, Pa. 

Corporal Ed. S. Noggle, R. F. D. No. 2, New Galilee, Pa 

Corporal David S. Oliver, R. F. D. No. 2, Beaver Falls, Pa. 

Corporal Harry R. Parker, hicora, Pa. 

Corporal Dominic Perry, Hillsville, Pa. 

Corporal W. E. Hughes, R. F. D. No. 2, New Castle, Pa. 

Corporal Guy W. Shingler, Freedom, Pa. 

Corporal James C. Myers, 518 Lincoln Ave., Rochester, Pa. 

Corporal James H. Stewart, 312 Harrison St., Wapakeneta, O. 

Corporal Franklin J. White, 2032 Dime Bank Bldg., Detroit, Mich. 

Corporal Ernest G. Wideman, 163 Jefferson St., Marion, Ohio. 

Corporal A. H. Wilson, 717 16th St., Beaver Falls, Pa. 

Corporal Shirl Wilson, 2845 E. Indiana St., Evansville, Ind. 

Corporal E. E. Roll, Freedom, Pa. 

Bugler Joseph Caputo, Freedom, Pa. 

Bugler Reed Davis, Lola, Kentucky. 

Bugler Albert D. Wolf, 15th St. Extension, Ambridge, Pa. 

Mechanics Chas. E. Coane, 713 11th St., New Brighton, Pa. 

Mechanics Chas. H. Storar, 631 Melrose Ave., Ambridge, Pa. 

Mechanics Nevil F. Moore, East Fultonham, Ohio. 

Horseshoer Chas. G. Mershimer, R. F. D. No. 6, New Castle, Pa 

Saddler H. S. Cunningham, R. F. D. No. 1, New Galilee, Pa. 

Horseshoer Zacharia F. Potter, 1401 4th Ave., Freedom, Pa. 

Cook Herbert H. Bell, R. F. D. No. 2, New Brighton, Pa 

Cook John Hoffmeier, 194 Kentucky Ave., Rochester, Pa. 

Cook Chas. Jolley, Freedom, Pa. 

Cook H. J. Couch, 1814 3rd Ave., New Brighton, Pa. 

Private Talmadge L. Allen, Route No. 3, Box No. 1, Kuttawa, Ky. 

Private Rayno Antognozzi, 5078 East 71st St., Cleveland, Ohio. 

Private Arthur Anzio, 553 Penn Ave., Rochester, Pa. 

Private H. S. Atherton, R. R. No. 3, Livia, McLean Co., Ky. 

Private Carlie Barnes, Willow Tree, Ky. 

Private Isaac Beals, Calhoun, Kentucky. 

Private Filipo Bellacoma, 1976 East 124th St., Cleveland, Ohio. 

Private *Marvin E. Bennett, Sample, Bleckenridge, Kentucky. 

Private G. J. Bibelhauser, R. R. No. 4, Shively, Kentucky. 

Private Wm. S. Bissell, 198 Beaver St., Beaver, Pa. 

Private Ambrose Blevins, Wagersville, Kentucky. 

Private H. R. Blin, Elwood City, Pa. 

Private A. S. Boarman, Glnedale, Kentucky. 

Private L. C. Bowdish, 3826 Cress Rd., Kenwood Park, Iowa. 

Private Jesse P. Brooks, Glasgow, Ky. 

Private John A. Burk, West Bridgewater, Pa. 

Private Carl P. Burns, R. R. No. 4, New Castle, Pa. 

Private Frank Caffarelli, 1003 Ivanhoe Rd, Cleveland, Ohio. 

58 



Private Roy Cameron, 344 Francis St., New Castle, Pa. 

Private Colin Campbell, New Bedford, Pa. 

Private Mike Carano, Willis Street, Bedford, Ohio. 

Private A. A. Caruthers, R. D. No. 6, New Castle, Pa. 

Private Leroy Cavins, 125 Clay Avenue, Lexington, Ky. 

Private Toni Cicimurri, 826 Shart St., McKees Rocks, Pa. 

Private Fred L. Clark, Freedom, Pa. 

Private *John Dando, New Castle, Pa. 

Private Alvin Davis, Sonora, Kentucky. 

Private Hubert Davis, 214 Ash Street, Newark, Ohio. 

Private Harry L. Day, Box No. 46, Fultonham, Ohio. 

Private T. J. Devylder, Earlington, Ky. 

Private *E. E. Dickey, Gresham, Ohio. 

Private Wm. E. Dunning, R. R. No. 4, Dawson Springs, Ky. 

Private *Wm. S. Ebert, Jackson St. Extension, Rochester, Pa. 

Private John W. Evans, Ashland, Ky. 

Private S. J. Fairchild, Route No. 4, Olustee, Oklahoma. 

Private Antonio Ferrante, 2228 Wood Hill Rd., Cleveland, Ohio. 

Private Wm. H. Fink, 816 2nd St., E. Rochester, Pa. 

Private Elwin Fountain, R. D. No. 7, Mason, Michigan. 

Private James A. Fraser, Freedom, Pa. 

Private David Freed, Wampum, Pa. 

Private John Giamello, 126 2nd St., Woodvale, Johnstoun, Pa. 

Private Ed. O. Giese, West Pittsburgh, Pa. 

Private Joseph Giglio, 633 Glenwood Ave., Ambridge, Pa. 

Private Clarence Gilmore, 517 E. Broadway, Alliance, Ohio. 

Private *Geo. E. Glock, 230 Ten House Row, Ellwood City, Pa. 

Private Ross Graham, Nebo, Kentucky. 

Private John E. Greenwall, Hernando, Miss. 

Private H. C. Grossman, R. F. D. No. 4, West Sunbury, Pa 

Private J. E. Hagemann, 604 Melrose Ave., Ambridge, Pa. 

Private Marvyn Hallam, 1615 6th Ave., Beaver Falls, Pa. 

Private Frank L. Hand, Roseville, Ohio. 

Private H. L. Hartzel, Ellwood City, Pa. 

Private Wayman Hatten, Pritchard, West Va. 

Private C. A. Heidman, 830 Haines Ave., Alliance, Ohio. 

Private R. E. Hendren, Macksville, Ky. 

Private Jas. T. Howley, 318 Shenango St., New Castle, Pa. 

Private H. Hutzleman, 516 Dandridge St., Cincinnati, Ohio. 

Private L. F. James, 1345 6th Ave., New Brighton, Pa. 

Private Jan Janus, 2516 Grace St., So. Bend, Indiana. 

Private John Jolley, 45 6th Ave., Freedom, Pa. 

Private Joseph Kagsmarck, 822 S. Harris St., So. Bend, Indiana. 

Private John Kane, R. F. D. No. 1, Freedom, Pa. 

Private Joseph Ketler, R. D. No. 4, Volant, Pa. 

Private *Andrew Lewchuk, 250 Fuller St., E., Akron, Ohio. 

59 



Private H. P. Lindsey, Providence, Kentucky. 

Private C. N. Lotz, 477 Jackson St., Rochester, Pa. 

Private Jas. E. Lutz, R. F. D. No. 2, New Galilee, Pa. 

Private Andrew Luy, R. F. D. No. 10, Station M, Norwood, Ohio. 

Private H. S. McDanel, R. F. D. No. 2, New Galilee, Pa. 

Private *Geo. McArthur, 911 Minneapolis Ave., Sault Ste. Marie, 

Mich. 

Private *L. L. Main, Elwood City, Pa. 

Private C. W. Martin, Hubbard, Ohio. 

Private Fred Martin, 833 12th St., New Brighton, Pa. 

Private Joseph Matela, 2121 W. Linden St., So. Bend, Indiana. 

Private D. R. Means, Ashcraft Ave., Paducah, Kentucky. 

Private J. B. Miller, 614 5th St., New Brighton, Pa. 

Private *Biaso Monocchio, 1008 Frank Ave^, Cleveland, Ohio. 

Private H. L. Morgan, Pine Hill, Ala. 

Private *Chas. D. Morrell, 2224 Cleveland Ave., Canton, Ohio. 

Private G. G. Morris, 805 Court Street, Portsmouth, Ohio. 

Private Chas. D. Morrow, 716 10th Ave., New Brighton, Pa. 

Private C. L. Moss, 5 Elm St., Carnegie, Pa. 

Private *W. E. Murphy, Canton, Ohio. 

Private A. F. Nelson, R. F. D. No. 2, Volant, Pa. 

Private Pasquale Pallazza, 10625 Arthur Ave., Cleveland, Ohio. 

Private F. V. Pepper 431 W. 7th St., Hopkinsville, Ky. 

Private Louis Piazza, care Jos. Denuzio Fruit Co., Louisville, Ky. 

Private * Jeremiah Powers, Conway, Pa. 

Private *Jas. V. Price, 2405 Slevin St., Louisville, Ky. 

Private Seth Rhoades, oRute No. 5, Hartford, Ky. 

Private J. J. Ridel, Jr., 3888 E. 43rd St., Cleveland, Ohio. 

Private Frank Rodgers, Box 415, Houston, Pa. 

Private *John Rozsa, 1019 W. Jefferson St., So. Bend, Ind. 

Private.... Tonie Sadda, 57 Fields Ave., Hammond, Indiana. 

Private Van W. Sanders, Sanders, Ky. 

Private John A. Sanderbeck, 501 College Ave., Beaver, Pa. 

Private William H. Sanderbeck, Freedom, Pa. 

Private S. S. Schoffner, Basil, Ohio. 

Private Wm. E. Schroeder, Box No. 61, R. R. No. 1, Watertown, Wis. 

Private Claude E. Silcott, R. D. No. 1, Lucasville, Ohio. 

Private Bronislaw Silkowski, 4238 Thorpe Ave., Chicago, 111. 

Private *Adam Siminiak, So. Bend, Indiana. 

Private John Siwoski, 1172 Columbia Ave., Hammond, Indiana. 

Private Dan Smith, Boaz, Kentucky. 

Private Kostas Stamatko, 6006 Longfellow Ave., Cleveland, Ohio. 

Private Martin Stratche, 128 First St., Ambridge, Pa. 

Private Geo. Strippel, 9109 Wade Park Ave., Cleveland, Ohio. 

Private *Robert Stubbs, Love City, Ohio. 

Private *Doc Swoggers, 23 E. Miller Street, Akron, Ohio. 

60 



Private Frances Swoggers, R. F. D. No. 2, New Galilee, Pa. 

Private Bruno Trussone, 813 Second St., Ellwood City, Pa. 

Private Joseph Tuzzio, Box No. 313, Rochester, Pa. 

Private Harry E. Veneer, 1301 Mount St., Portsmouth, Ohio. 

Private Leopold© Verzilli, Hillsville, Pa. 

Private Albert Vincelli, 1965 Major Ave., Salt Lake City, Utah. 

Private *E. A. Vincent, Lynches Mines, West Va. 

Private Thos. A. Wakefield, 304 Adams St., Rochester, Pa. 

Private Louis Walker, 200 Fifth Ave., Freedom, Pa. 

Private Fred Weaver, Petersburg, Mich. 

Private R. W. Weaver, 121 South St., Nazareth, Pa. 

Private E. T. White, R. F. D. No. 4, New Castle, Pa. 

Private Jacob White, Dresden, Ohio 

Private Milton J. Wikoff, 1402 12th St., Portsmouth, Ohio. 

Private Harold E. Wood, Freedom, Pa. 

Private A. C. Zimmerman, 1619 4th Ave., Beaver Falls, Pa. 

Private Joseph Zinniel, 2114 Fourth St., Minneapolis, Minn. 

*Names starred are men whose addresses are the last addresses given, but 
whom we have been unable to locate. 



61 



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